The Legend of Spyro: Age of Heroes Book III
by Spartan-029
Summary: The conclusion to the first Age of Heros Trilogy. With Spyro near death and without his powers, the other guardians find themselves in a race against time. Deep in the Mountain Wastes they will find new allies and new powers and test the bonds of friends.
1. Chapter 1

The ground rushed below Spyro. His world spun and faded in and out of focus. Cold wind rushed over his body and stung his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but only released a glob of blood. He heard a muffled curse from the dragon who was carrying him. The purple dragon felt himself being shifted around on the dragon's back as they tried to wipe the blood off their shoulder. Spyro closed his eyes and returned to the darkness of unconsciousness.

"It has been far too long since we last heard from Spyro and Cynder." Hunter shook his head.

"I agree." Terrador sighed. "The young guardians have not reported back either."

"Do you think something has happened?" Volteer asked worriedly.

"I only expected them to be gone no more than a week, maybe two at the most." Hunter scratched his head in frustration.

"Suppose Spyro found something at Dante's Freezer," Cyril muttered darkly. "Before they left, Spyro seemed rather disturbed about something. Perhaps those wretched wolves were planning something diabolical and our young dragons were caught in the middle of it."

"Yes, that would make sense." Volteer nodded anxiously. "They may have engaged the enemy at Dante's Freezer or have been captured by them or..." The lightning guardian's voice trailed off as the sound of wing beats reached their ears. The guardians and cheetah warrior turned their heads to see a large fiery red dragon followed by a small cavalry of elders coming in for a landing on the temple's uppermost platform.

"Infernus!" Terrador jerked his head back in surprise. "What brings you here?"

"How is the Eastern City?" Cyril added more formally. "Have you been able to rebuild since the attack?"

The elder huffed and caught his breath. "We have. But we still have several problems concerning the disappearance of our younger black dragon population."

"We heard." Terrador nodded. "Flame mentioned it to us when he and Spyro returned with the other guardians."

"Has anything been done to by the young guardians to find our missing youngsters?" Another large fire breather asked.

"We were actually in the midst of discussing that situation." Hunter spoke up staring up at the dragon elder. "It's been over a month since we've seen Spyro and the other guardians. They left to investigate some possible wolf activities at Dante's Freezer and we haven't heard from them since."

"Have you sent any search parties out for them?" Infernus asked after a moment's hesitation.

The cheetah nodded; the troubled expression clear on his face. "That we have. My people have sent out our falcons to search the land for them."

"Any word yet?" Infernus's claws dug into the floor as he anticipated the cheetah's answer. To his dismay Hunter shook his head.

"There hasn't been any sighting of them." Infernus's shoulders slumped slightly. He knew it was dangerous to be a guardian at times when darkness threatened the land and that there was the possibility the young dragons would be killed protecting their world. But Flame was still his grandson and their family bonds would always hold strong for the elder. Hunter sensed the elder's disappointment and placed his hands on his hips. "There haven't been any signs of the young ones themselves. But according to the falcons there has been sufficient evidence to suggest they're still alive out there."

"How so?" The fire elder tilted his head sideways inquisitively.

"The lands beyond Dante's Freezer show several signs of heavy fighting. Burned forests from fire dragons and many patches of woods leveled by an earth dragon have been spotted. There has also been a report of an entire wolf village being destroyed by a possible cave in."

"Of course they've just been reported sightings," Cyril broke in. "We have yet to make any sort of actual contact with the young ones."

"I see." Infernus lowered his head slightly.

Feeling the tension in the room begin to rise, Hunter turned towards the stairs leading to the lower levels of the city. "I think it is best that I take my leave here." He said over his shoulder. "I will go and search for Spyro and the others. Perhaps it is also time my people returned to their homes in Avalar as well."

"Very well friend." Terrador bobbed his bulky head. "We will wait for you to return when you find them."

"Good luck, and may the ancestors watch over you." Infernus spoke with an air of sadness.

The cheetah nodded. "Do you have a message you would like me to deliver our guardian of fire?"

Infernus thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Just make sure they're safe."

"Will that be all?" Hunter asked, raising a skeptical eye brow. The elder nodded. He had plenty to say to his grandson but felt it would be best to wait until the two were face to face again. "Very well." Hunter pulled his hood over his head and secured his bow and arrows. "I will take my leave. We will keep you posted as much as we can." Before the elders could say anything more the cheetah started down the steps.

At the base of the stairs, Chief Prowlus was waiting with arms crossed.

"So how did it go Hunter?" He asked sternly.

"Nothing we don't already know." Hunter shook his head sadly.

"Will we continue looking for the purple dragon and his friends?"

"I gave the guardians my word that we would assist in the search for Spyro and his friends."

"I see." Prowlus nodded. He was more concerned about his people than the dragons, but he knew that his people owed a lot to Spyro and that looking for him was the least they could do. "Very well." Prowlus stood upright and they descended the stairs to ground level. "I will have half our falcons on constant watch intervals until we get any reports of finding them. I'll have seven of our scouts scour the lands so we may track them down easier."

"Your help is much appreciated, friend." Hunter placed a thankful hand on his chief's shoulder. "You've changed over the past couple years."

"I realize that I was wrong to judge Spyro and to hold a grudge against Cynder, especially after she brought the world from the brink of destruction. I suppose that this is just a way of paying them back."

"They would appreciate it." Hunter nodded. As the cheetah tribe entered the main courtyard, the moles stood ready and waiting for them. Hunter bobbed his head slightly and the guards opened the massive gates. Slowly but surely, the cheetahs filed out of the city, looking around at the vast horizon before them. It was the first time they had been outside the city wall since their arrival. Many of the warriors looked tense as they surveyed the land around them. They tightened their grip on their weapons and their ears flattened slightly as they sniffed the air, expecting to find the scent of a nearby enemy.

"I should go," Hunter announced when he and Prowlus exited the city. "I wish you safe passage on your way home Prowlus."

"Just be careful wherever you may decide to go." The chieftain nodded gruffly.

"I will." Hunter waved and turned towards the north east. He took the cool air that surrounded the city walls into his lungs and sighed. Without further delay he took off running, appearing to be nothing but a red and yellow blur across the plains.

From the cover of the trees, hundreds of yellow eyes watched the cheetahs exit the dragon city of Warfang. The wolves lay hunched down in the bushes as the line of felines spread out in front of them. The mutants all licked their chops and did their best not to fidget anxiously; they wanted blood and they wanted it bad.

"Settle down you fools!" And rash voice growled. "We didn't come here for your amusement!"

The mutant warriors settled down after a couple of whimpers. The Southern Wolf Pack was far more disciplined than their cousins to the north; when their Alpha ordered them to do something they did it without hesitation or argument.

The Alpha stalked up next to the young black dragon hunkered down in the bushes.

"So, what is your plan, Master?" He asked calmly.

Liun only glared in disgust at the felines exiting the city gates. His sides were still scorched from lava burns and he wore the scars that had plagued his body from the fortress collapsing on top of him. The young black dragon only had a mind for revenge but Malefor had other plans.

"You will get your revenge in time, young dragon," The Dark Master whispered within his mind. "But for now you must stay focused if you wish to get what you desire."

"I understand," Liun replied aloud, catching the patient Alpha's attention. Liun was about to address him when something caught his eye. From out of the group of felines sprinted a lone warrior. He donned a faded crimson cloak and carried a bow along with a slew of arrows across his shoulder.

The black dragon's eyes narrowed suspiciously when the scout warrior disappeared into the forest. The Alpha wolf followed the dark dragon's evil stare but remained silent; he was not in the position to talk openly right now.

"Scraunch," Liun whispered darkly without breaking his stare.

"Yes master?" The Alpha was immediately down on one knee with his head bowed.

"Keep your head up," Liun ordered harshly without raising his voice. "Did you see that cheetah scout break away from the rest of his tribe?"

"Yes," the Alpha wolf nodded.

"I want you to send your next in command and half of our forces after him." Liun glanced at the wolf out of the corner of his eye. "I have a sneaking suspicion he may be going to seek out Spyro and Cynder, wherever they have taken refuge."

"It shall be done." The wolf bobbed his head and swished his tail three times. Immediately another large wolf crept up to them. The wolf's fur was copper-colored with a long black streak running from the top of his nose and down his back.

"I want you to track him for the time being," Liun continued in a hushed voice. He gave a sudden wince of pain as Malefor's conscience began to emerge again. Black shadows spread out from around Liun's feet and spread through the darkness of the forest. The wolves didn't so much as twitch a hair from the sudden dispersal of energy.

Malefor looked at Scraunch with grave yellow eyes. "Make sure that your warriors remain unnoticed at all times. I suspect that feline is the sole reason Spyro and Cynder survived the catastrophe at the Well of Souls. If he found them then, he surely is capable of it now. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear." Scraunch bowed his head again before backing away with the rest of his pack. He turned to the red wolf and pulled him aside to speak in hushed tones. "Listen to me, and listen well Tuerto." Scraunch narrowed his yellow eyes at his subordinate. "You and our brothers are to follow that warrior and keep him in your sights at all times. But under no circumstances are you to let him spot you! Is that clear?"

"I understand." Tuerto nodded obediently.

"You are not to attack him until he has located for you the purple dragon and his friends. When you have found them, eliminate them. And be thorough about it! I don't want anyone in my pack making the same foolish mistakes that imbecile Snarl from the Northern pack made! I will not tolerate failure from wolf or dragon for any reason! Is that understood?"

"As you wish." Tuerto nodded with a couple vigorous sweeps of his tail. Just behind them they heard a sudden rustle in the bushes. Every head turned, including Liun's. The sounds of footsteps could be heard fading away and several of the wolves growled suspiciously. Tuerto raised his hand and pointed it like a spear in the direction of the disturbance. He flicked his fingers four times and four of the mutant wolves slipped into the forest in response to his silent command.

When they had disappeared from view, he turned back to his Alpha. Scraunch nodded, seeing that his second-in-command understood what was expected of him. The Alpha turned back to the dark dragon and nodded. Liun only turned back to the city as the last of the refugees exited the city. It would be night in just a few hours. And then they would make their move.


	2. Chapter 2

"Infernus," Volteer spoke up. "What was the matter you were hoping to discuss with us?"

"Ah yes," the elder looked the lightning guardian in the eyes. "Shortly after our city was attacked by the wolves we sent out a search party to try and find the young dragons who were taken from our city. And like our new guardians, we haven't heard back from them."

"We fear the worst may have happened at this point." One of the ice elders shook his head sadly. "We try to hold on to hope but there hasn't been so much as a scout report from them in over two months."

"This is most troubling indeed." Volteer curled his lips slightly.

"Have you sent anyone out to look for the scout group?" Cyril asked, rubbing his chin with a claw. "Perhaps they ran into trouble and are in dire need of assistance."

"Unfortunately the only other group of scouts we sent out has not been heard from in nearly a month themselves." Infernus shook his head worriedly. "We fear for the worst at this point."

"As do we," Terrador sighed and pawed at the ground, distraught by all the bad news that had been befalling them recently. "With Malefor's return we..."

"Malefor?" The lightning elder exclaimed. "He lives? I was under the impression that the purple dragon had vanquished him."

Terrador picked up the extreme tone of disdain in the dragon's voice but wisely chose to ignore it.

"It was beyond Spyro's control or expectations," The guardian replied sternly, hoping to put the opposing elder in his place. "None of us could have foreseen this coming, not even Spyro."

"I somehow find that difficult to fathom." The elder scoffed. "The purple dragon is blessed with abilities that most of us only dream about and power that could easily bring this world to an end if you haven't forgotten."

Cyril took a brash step forward, surprising all the dragons present. "If you are implying that Spyro is going to turn out like Malefor then I would suggest you rethink your opinion before you speak again. That young dragon has shown that he is far more powerful than Malefor, the old brute! But he is not the kind of dragon who desires power!"

"All of you calm down!" Volteer interrupted.

"I agree," Infernus locked eyes with the lightning guardian and nodded. "The problem here is not Spyro. We owe him more than we could all possibly imagine."

Terrador sighed. "You're right. We need to focus on the Dark Master first. I'm sure Spyro, Cynder, and the other young guardians have their hands full with whatever plans Malefor has laid out."

"So what are we to do then?" Another elder spoke up. "Just sit back and wait for the Dark Master to destroy our world again? What if Spyro is incapable of beating him a second time?"

"Oh, pish posh, and all that rubbish!" Cyril nearly spat. "Spyro has proven himself time and again against all the odds and emerged victorious each time. I'm certain this time around it will be no different. "

"Your confidence is underwhelming," The elder muttered inciting an irritated growl from the guardian.

"Perhaps we should all get some rest," Volteer groaned, seeing that they were not going to get past anything more than childish arguments. "You've all had a long flight and perhaps this issue would be better discussed when we've all had some sleep."

"A wise choice." Infernus bowed, thankful that the noise had settled down; the other elders followed his lead. "We shall adjourn for the evening and see you first thing in the morning."

"Rest well." Terrador bobbed his head before they turned to leave.

When Infernus and the others were out of ear shot Cyril turned to the earth guardian, still a bit flustered and clouds of ice rising from his jaws.

"Your thoughts, Terrador?"

The earth dragon growled uneasily. "Something about all of this doesn't feel right. I believe Malefor may be planning something big for us."

"Like an attack against Spyro? Or the city?" Cyril raised a brow. He knew better to trust his old comrade's combat instincts. Terrador's hunches had saved them on multiple occasions during the years when Spyro had gone missing.

"Hard to say." The earth dragon shook his massive head. "But it makes sense that Malefor would attack the dragon city since Spyro and the others are away."

"So what do we do, Terrador?" Volteer asked as he marched to the edge of the temple platform at the top of the stairs. Down below he could see the lights of the city beginning to cast a fiery glow across the buildings and streets. Night was coming quickly and a breeze sent a chill through his old bones.

"I suggest that we put the sentries on alert just in case anything should be brewing outside our city walls."

"I think we should focus their attention inside the city as well," Terrador added. "The Dark Master infiltrated the city undetected once before. He may try another attempt."

"Then I will go see that all the necessary preparations are made." Cyril shook himself awake as he marched past Volteer and dove down to the city below. As the two remaining guardians watched him go, Terrador rolled his massive shoulders; it was a twitch he displayed whenever he was nervous about something.

"If the Dark Master does make another attempt on Warfang, do you think we'll have the power to fight him off?" Volteer muttered darkly.

Terrador was silent for a long time as he stared down at the inhabitants of the dragon city. "I'd be lying if I were to say yes with one hundred percent certainty."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Volteer groaned.

"But if we're able to hold out until Spyro and the other guardians return, then we may have a chance."

Volteer sighed sadly and his ancient shoulders slumped. He was beginning to show his age more and more with each passing day. "I just hope the young ones are alive and together," He muttered.

Cynder came to land on a ledge of a cliff. A few yards away was the entrance to the cave where she and the other guardians had spent the previous night. The young dragons had spent the last several days flying deeper and deeper in the frozen wastes of the mountain range. Food had been scarce and they were all struggling to get by on what little scraps they had managed to salvage from each meal. Each night a new guardian took over the role of night-watch. Thankfully there had been no sign of the dark dragon or his canine forces, but guardians weren't up to taking any chances.

"Dear Ancestors, I am beat," Cynder groaned as she staggered to the back of the cave where Flame had a fire waiting for her.

"Any luck finding anything Cynder?" Stella asked as she walked up to greet her.

"Not really," Cynder muttered disappointedly. "I found a lake that was frozen over and some fish that were frozen in the ice but even they looked inedible."

The guardians groaned to themselves and their stomachs growled back at them in disappointment. The black dragoness took a seat across the fire from Ember and Flame who were curled around Spyro. The purple dragon hadn't woken up from his ordeal since they had rescued him from Cynder's fallen fortress. He had been coming around just enough to cough up more blood for everyone to go into another state of panic before settling down enough for Ember to put him back asleep. Cynder's eyes filled with tears as she saw how withered away he had become. The once glorious, handsome purple dragon she had grown to love now looked like a starved, meatless rodent. His dull, purple scales were covered in dried blood. His eyes had bags under them and Cynder could see his bones poking through his skin slightly. Her hero was an unhealthy mess, and it was probably all because of her.

"How is he?" She asked after long silence.

Ember looked up at her with a slight smile. "The good news is I think he's doing better. In comparison to yesterday, that is."

"And what's the bad news?" Cynder braced herself for another sudden shock.

Ember only shook her head. "The bad news is he hasn't recovered enough to wake up."

Cynder sighed and lay her head down on her front paws. Stella lay down beside her and draped a friendly wing over her back. "It'll be alright. You'll see. It always is," She whispered.

"That's not what's bothering me," Cynder murmured in response.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Stella asked gently, trying her best not to pressure her friend too much.

"Not right now." Cynder sighed. "I'm too exhausted."

Stella's smile faded slightly. She understood Cynder's worry for her mate and gave her a comforting squeeze with her wing. "Fair enough. You rest up. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm right here."

"Thanks Stella." Cynder cracked a slight smile before drifting off to sleep.

Across the cave, Candice and Tremor were curled up together in a tight ball. Tremor was fast asleep but Candice was having trouble staying asleep. Lately every time she had gotten to sleep Tremor would wake her up by going into a fit of raucous coughing. He had insisted that he was okay and it may have just been from the lack of water around but Candice had known him long enough to detect when he was lying. When the earth guardian's sides began to heave violently, Candice had had enough. She had already been cranky from Spyro drooling blood on her the previous day when carrying him while flying and now she wanted to rest but couldn't.

"That's it, I can't take this anymore." She scooted away from Tremor who didn't so much as twitch an eyelid.

"Are you alright Candice?" Stella asked when the ice guardian got to her feet and shook herself.

"I need some space and fresh air." Candice replied as she walked past the lightning dragoness and headed for the front of the cave. "I'll take watch tonight." She called back over her shoulder. Stella watched her go before taking a quick glance at Tremor who was stifling coughs in his sleep. She too had noticed his constant coughing but had left the lecturing to Candice. Now that she was gone, Stella began to emanate a small charge of electricity in the earth dragon's direction. Tremor stirred when he felt the tingle of her energy surround his body. He had recovered enough from the grueling battle with the Northern Alpha wolf Snarl but still wore that wounds to remind them that he had been through a lot, but then again, they all did.

As Tremor continued to breathe, Stella detected a faint disturbance in his lungs. She couldn't guess accurately what it was but made a mental note for when Candice returned from guard duty.

Candice sat silently for the first few hours of her watch. The night sky made the entire world beyond the cave invisible. Even though she couldn't see it clearly she could sense the snow storm over the range of mountains. Shortly after they had taken shelter after fleeing Liun's castle, a blizzard had struck, forcing them to stay put for three days straight without any food or water. When it was safe enough to fly they had moved quickly to find another hiding spot before the next storm hit. Along the way, they had only managed to find a few mountain sheep for food, but their meat was tough and fatty, unlike the forest animals they were used to. But as long as they had food, the guardians weren't going to complain. However, the last morsels of food had disappeared nearly a day and a half ago with the exception of the rations they spared in case Spyro woke up. Much to their dismay he hadn't but they refrained from splitting his portions anyways.

"Poor Spyro," She whispered as she let out a cloud of frost. She remembered back to a time when she had looked up to the purple dragon as a mentor and friend when she and the other guardians weren't constantly fighting against the Dark Master. She remembered back when Spyro had to save her and Tremor from their last training hall disaster. She chuckled to herself when she recalled the argument she and Tremor had presented him with about hating each other. "Who would have thought?" She smiled. Even though she was happy to be with Tremor, she did miss the days when they would constantly bicker with one another. "Maybe when this is all over we can go back to those days," She pondered aloud.

"Go back to what days?" Sparx's sudden appearance caused the dragoness to jump in surprise and whirl on him hissing frost. "Whoa, whoa! Take it easy there sweetheart!" The dragonfly held his hands up submissively to try and calm her down. "It's just me."

"I'm sorry Sparx." Candice sighed. "You just startled me, that's all. I haven't been in the best of moods lately."

"You and everyone else." The dragonfly came to rest between her front legs. Candice was taken aback by his actions but chose to let it slide. Ever since Spyro had nearly destroyed himself, everyone had been acting differently. Tremor had been fairly quiet, only speaking when spoken to and even then it was hard to get any words out of him. Stella had been comforting as usual but her spirit seemed to have diminished slightly. Cynder hadn't so much as gone near Spyro for reasons she refused to speak of. Sparx had been bouncing from one dragon to the next, trying to keep himself preoccupied and refrain from thinking about his brother's current state. Ember was always preoccupied with taking care of Spyro. Despite the other guardian's wounds, they had insisted she focus her efforts on their purple friend. Flame had stepped up to take charge of their rag-tag group of guardians. Although, rather than being his usual cheerful, friendly self, he had become more like a military leader, or one of the dragon elders. He seemed almost mature in Candice's eyes. But she knew he was just putting on a face for them and behaving, to which she was almost certain, the way his grandfather would have expected of him.

"I suppose that's true." Candice sighed and lay down, tucking Sparx close to her soft, smooth breast scales to keep him protected from the chill. Here in the cold she felt stronger than ever, but the weather had brought down the morale of her friends as well as Tremor's health. Back inside the cave, she could hear the earth guardian erupt in a fit of coughing and Stella trying to settle him down. The mountain shook with each ragged breath he took. Candice lay her head down and felt Sparx's tiny hand against her cheek. She cooed slightly at his comforting touch and closed one eye for some partial sleep.

The night dragged on and Candice found herself starting to doze off. By the time the light of day began to break through the clouds, her eyelids were starting to fall. Sparx had been asleep between her front paws beside her neck, keeping fairly warm the entire night. He yawned loudly and stretched his arms, accidentally poking Candice in a half-closed eye. The dragoness yelped and clutched at her face.

"Oops, sorry about that sweetheart," Sparx apologized hastily, unsure if the worn-out guardian would be angry or not; to his relief she was too fatigued.

"It's alright Sparx, you didn't mean it." Candice whimpered as she rubbed her eye. It was tearing up and she was doing her best to keep the fluid from freezing up on her cheeks. "Just don't make a habit out of it."

"Now what fun would that be?" Sparx crossed his arms in his usual comical manner. Candice chuckled slightly, something she felt she hadn't done in ages.

When she finished rubbing her eye, she found her gaze directed up to the sky. As the vision in her eye returned, a shadow flickered through the fog. On instinct the dragoness froze. "Sparx, did you see that?" She whispered.

"See what?" Sparx yawned again and looked around.

"In the fog." Candice pointed to the spot where she had seen the shadow move. "I swear I saw something."

"Candice, you'd better not be joking with me." Sparx was beginning to feel edgy now and he moved closer to the ice guardian for protection.

"No, I'm not." Candice muttered sternly, her tail blade twitching anxiously as she continued to scan the skies. Just as she was about to turn back into the cave she saw another flicker of movement. "There!" She exclaimed and sprang up into the air, leaving Sparx to tumble head over thorax onto the ground.

"Hey wait!" He shouted but Candice was already out of earshot. "Oh man," he groaned as he picked himself up off the ground and watched the ice dragoness disappear into the fog. "This is not good."


	3. Chapter 3

Sparx zipped back into the cave.

"Hey guys! We may have a problem!"

The other dragons had been sleeping but their heads popped up immediately at the alarming tone in his voice.

"What's going on?" Cynder asked, already on her feet and making her way to the mouth of the cave.

"Candice said she spotted something outside." The dragonfly led her and the other guardians to where the ice dragoness had been sitting. "She was pointing to the sky and then she disappeared."

"Did you see which way she went?" Tremor asked as he scanned the skies.

"No. She took off and was gone before I could even pick myself up," Sparx grumbled.

"We should get back inside," Flame suggested. "If it's trouble we may have to move Spyro in a hurry."

"We may also have to fight our way out," Cynder added. "Come on, we'd better get back inside." The dragons all headed back into the cave but Tremor stayed where he was. His scales rattled irritably as he pondered on what he should do himself: should he go off and try and find Candice, or wait for her to return? The other dragons needed him to help with Spyro who was already in terrible shape to begin with. But if Candice had found trouble then she might need his help. He was about to take off when he heard Flame's voice.

"Tremor, we could use your help." The fire guardian noticed the way his friend stared up at the heavily overcast sky. "Hey." he jabbed his friend in the shoulder with an elbow barb, getting his attention. "She'll be alright. Candice is a smart girl and you of all dragons should know how good of a fighter she is."

"I know." Tremor answered, the anxiety was very thick in his voice.

"I'd feel the same if it were Ember out there," Flame pointed out. "But we need your help right now as a guardian. Without Candice here we need to be able to secure Spyro somehow."

Tremor sighed and reluctantly turned back inside. "I understand."

Flame smiled seeing his friend was still keeping his cool. "Good, come on. When she returns, we leave." Flame moved to the back of the cave but Tremor hesitated. He gave one last look over his shoulder and disappeared inside out of view from the outside world.

Candice beat her wings through the dense fog of the early morning. The wind was to her back but her vision was still very limited. Up ahead she could hardly make out the flickers of movement against the fog. What ever that thing was, it moved fast. The only way Candice was able to keep up with it was by sensing it through the icy vapor. "Dear ancestors!" She huffed as she pushed herself harder. "What in the world is this thing? It's too fast to be a dragon."

Suddenly the object dove. Candice banked hard after it. She squinted against the stinging wind but forced her watery eyes to stay open. As she broke through the fog she got her first look at what she had been chasing as it spread its blue wings to pull up over the tops of the jagged rocks that spread across the mountain range; it was a yellow dragoness. She had two blue horns sticking out of the top of her head with two additional horns extruding from those; one towards her back and the other towards her forehead. She had odd, spade-like spines down her neck before ending with blue zigzag patterns. The dragoness was smaller than Candice, but by no means feeble-looking. The yellow dragon shot like an arrow through the air, barely beating her wings at all as Candice struggled to keep up.

"No way," Candice gasped as her vision began to clear.

The yellow dragoness jolted in surprise upon hearing the guardian's voice. She whirled around to see Candice steadily gaining on her. She hissed and took off in a sharp dive.

"Hey wait!" Candice called and followed. The yellow dragoness was almost out of ear-shot as the wind rushed by. "Damn it," Candice growled and beat her wings harder. There was no way she could let her get away; not when the fate of her friends depended on it.

The two dragons became blurs as they whistled over and in between the mountain tops. All the while the yellow dragoness continued to look back over her shoulder each time she took a dive or sharp turn to try and lose the ice dragoness pursuing her. Candice pushed herself to the limit and began to gain more speed. The yellow dragoness squawked in fright and dove into a deep canyon. Candice hesitated for a second before tucking her wings in and diving into the darkness between the walls of ice-encrusted rock. Down here her vision went completely dark but the wind and water still stung her eyes.

Suddenly she sensed something up ahead. A brilliant light lit up the canyon as the yellow dragoness unleashed a storm of lightning bolts. Candice shut her eyes against the harsh radiance leaving her vulnerable. Several bolts struck her and burned against her soft, pale-blue scales. She screamed as the energy coursed through her body before falling into the darkness.

The yellow dragoness flew back towards the surface and stared down at the shadowy gorge below her. "That was too close," she breathed. She was out of breath herself. The move she had made was a last ditch effort to escape and it had worked. She landed on the ground and took several minutes to catch her breath. "I knew I was good at flying," she wheezed. "But that dragoness... she was something else." Her thoughts reflected back to their chase. "She was actually able to keep up with me." After a moment of silence she scratched her nose. "I wonder why she was chasing me though." She looked towards the edge of the canyon and shrugged. "Oh well."

The yellow dragoness got up to leave with a pang of despair lingering in her chest. Something about the situation had left a bad taste in her mouth. She paused to look over her shoulder again. "Perhaps she survived that attack?" She turned back and started towards the edge of the cliff.

Just then a claw reached up and grabbed the ledge. The yellow dragoness yelped in surprise as another paw came up to pull Candice out of the cold darkness. The ice dragoness nearly collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion.

"Please, wait," she whimpered. Her legs were shaking beneath her as she struggled to stay standing. The electrical burns across her body seemed to taint her overall beauty and the yellow dragoness couldn't help but feel guilty. "Help..." Candice gasped.

"Help?" The lightning dragoness echoed and took a couple cautious steps towards the guardian.

Candice nodded. It was then she noticed the dragoness wore a pair of leather goggles over her eyes to protect her from the wind and water. "Please. My friend... he's going to die if he doesn't get some help soon."

"Die?" The dragoness repeated. That word seemed to strike a chord with her. "Where? How? Why?"

Seeing that she was getting through to the stranger, Candice began to feel slightly better. "I will explain on the way there." She tried to force a gracious smile. "But we need to hurry. I'm not sure how much time we have left."

"Lead the way." The dragoness nodded. Candice spread her wings and with an agonizing leap was airborne and taking off towards the cave where she and her fellow guardians had taken shelter.

Night time fell across the dragon city of Warfang. Its inhabitants slept while the guards went about their rounds. The moles had been informed of the current situation and had gotten out their heavy weapons and armor. The moles, now dressed like medieval knights clanked along the city walls; their armor shining in the light cast by the torches.

Far away from the city, shadowy figures crept across the plains. Tuerto and his horde of wolves darted into the adjacent forest in search of Hunter's scent. After a short time of sniffing around they picked up the warrior's trail. Scraunch nodded approvingly giving Tuerto the cue to be off. After the rustling footsteps disappeared he turned to the black dragon who stood at the edge of the trees. Liun stared hatefully up at the high wall. Deep inside, even Malefor felt a sense of resentment towards the city and its citizens. They had foiled his plans so many times before; it was beyond irritating to him. But resolve stayed his anger; Warfang would be dealt with, and soon.

Liun sighed and took in a deep breath before turning to Scraunch. "Alright. Let's get this show on the road.

Scraunch didn't utter a word. Instead he drew his weapon and raised it high. The crude metal seemed to cast an eerie glow in the moonlight. Then without warning, he struck Liun.


	4. Chapter 4

Tremor paced anxiously around the fire in the cave. It had been over an hour since Candice had taken off and his worry was starting to get the better of him. Ember lay towards the back of the cave with Spyro draped across her back. It had been decided that she would take care of the purple dragon until Candice returned. The whole time she had been steadily shimmering with healing energy, hoping that Spyro would finally come to.

Next to her, Stella watched as Tremor continued to wear a hole in the floor of the cave. She had tried to get him to settle down and rest but Tremor would have none of it. When he had tried to lay down his tossing and turning began to shake the whole mountain. At last Stella had suggested that he move around the cave just so he wouldn't bring the entire place down on them from his agitation.

"So what do we do?" Sparx asked as he stroked his brother's muzzle. He had been repeatedly zipping back and forth checking to see if Candice was coming back.

"Should we wait any longer?" Ember whispered to Flame trying to keep Tremor from overhearing them.

"I don't know." Flame murmured. He looked up to see Tremor had stopped his pacing and was staring motionless towards the front of the cave. The fire guardian gave a low sigh. He hated seeing his fellow guardian in such a worried state and distressed frame of mind. After a long moment's pause he got up and opened his mouth to speak. Before he could utter a single vowel, Tremor turned and spoke.

"Let's get ready to move out," He announced, surprising everyone else there. Stella, Ember and Sparx all gave each other astonished glances; they could hardly believe that Tremor was insisting that they leave before his dragoness had returned.

"Tremor," Stella spoke up timidly. "Are you sure you want to..."

Tremor cut her off with a stern look in his bright green eyes. It was a seriousness Stella hadn't seen in a long time. There was something about it however, that frightened her. "We need to make sure Spyro stays safe until he wakes up again. If Candice is out there or hurt, then we'll find her along the way."

"I'm sorry." Flame sighed and placed a paw on his friend's shoulder.

"Don't be," Tremor replied almost gruffly. "I just hope Candice is alright wherever she is."

"As long as I'm with you I'm always alright." Every head perked up and Tremor whirled around to see the silhouette of his dragoness against the sky outside.

"Candice?"

"Duh, silly." Her comforting voice was like soft music to Tremor's ears. The ice guardian stepped into the light of the fire and Tremor immediately noticed the burn marks that peppered her body.

"Candice, you're hurt!" He exclaimed.

"I'm alright," The dragoness replied reassuringly. "I promise you that much." Tremor glanced up at her with trembling eyes. The ice guardian could tell he had a lot of questions to ask, but they would have to wait until another time. "You can come in," Candice called over her shoulder. The outline of a head appeared in the cave entrance as the yellow dragoness stuck her head inside. She timidly walked up until she was standing beside Candice. "Everyone, this is Static. She's here to help us."

"Hi." The other guardians all nodded. Static could tell they were deeply fatigued by their sluggish movement and dull scale appearances.

Candice continued with her introduction. "This pebble-brain here is Tremor."

"Thanks Candy." Tremor gave a smirk feeling somewhat better about the situation they were in. Candice flashed him a wink before gesturing to the rest of the group. "The red one is Flame, the girl next to him is Ember and Stella is our beloved guardian of lightning." The guardians all bobbed their heads in acknowledgment. It was then that Static's eyes fell on Cynder. Candice took notice and smiled softly. "And the black dragoness to our left is Cynder."

"Wait, Cynder?" Static's eyes grew wide with terror and she took a couple of steps back. "As in Cynder the black dragoness!? The Terror of the Skies?"

"Um..." Candice swallowed hard.

Cynder only sighed. "Yes." She replied coldly. Static's heart nearly stopped. She glanced from Candice to the other guardians and back to Cynder. Stella was the first to speak.

"I understand what you may be thinking," she said as she stood up. "We all went through a period where we were unsure about Cynder. But she's not who you think she is."

"B-but... I've heard stories," Static stammered.

"And I have no doubt how true they are," Cynder pointed out as she got to her feet. "But I'm not the same dragoness today as I was then." Static took another step backwards and Cynder turned to look sadly at Spyro who was still draped over Ember's back. "And I owe it all to him." Static turned to look at the half-dead purple dragon.

"A purple dragon." She gasped and took a few anxious steps forward. "I've only heard legends of the purple dragon. I hear they're really powerful."

"They are." Cynder nodded, walking up beside the yellow dragoness. "It's because of Spyro that I was freed from the Dark Master's control. I owe him so much."

"But that's why we need your help," Stella continued. "Spyro's powers are gone because of the Dark Master. We need to find a safe place to keep him until he can regain his strength."

"Well..." Static paused to think about her possible solution to the problem. She wasn't sure about what she was about to do, but as she looked around the circle of weary and worn out expressions she came to a final decision. "Alright," she nodded. "Let's get your friend out of this place and somewhere that's more sheltered and comfortable."

"Thank you." Candice and Cynder chimed in unison. They gave each other surprised stares but smiled. It felt like so many of their worries had been lifted in that one moment in time.

Ember rose to her feet with Spyro clumsily draped over her. Cynder caught the purple dragon just as he was about to slide off.

"I got him now." Ember assured her once they had him situated. Cynder only nodded. Sparx crawled into the gap between Spyro's chest and Ember's back and gave his friend a pat on the neck. He stared at his hand as some of his brother's dried blood flaked off onto his tiny fingers. He brushed them off on Embers back, being subtle enough to keep her from noticing.

The group of dragons all headed towards the mouth of the cave and were immediately greeted with a cold breeze. Tremor shuddered and gave a low wheeze.

"We'll be alright." Candice whispered and placed a wing over his shoulder.

"I know." Tremor smiled back at her. He continued to stare at her burn marks, studying them closely. It was then that Candice noticed him glance over at Static and narrow his eyes slightly.

"Tremor." The ice guardian pulled his attention back to her. "It was a misunderstanding. Nothing serious."

"You promise?" Tremor murmured, trying to hide the unfriendly tone in his voice.

"Promise." Candice nodded.

"Candice, a little help," Ember called.

"Coming," Candice replied and walked away from Tremor. As he watched her freeze Spyro to Ember's shoulders, a rash cough rattled Tremor's throat. He turned his head and coughed hard as the phlegm staggered up his throat. When the burning subsided he turned and spat off the side of the cliff before returning to the others. Tremor never saw the glob of saliva that hit the rocks below. None of them would see the blood spatter onto the rocks below. Slowly Tremor's lungs were being filled with blood, drowning the earth guardian at a snail's pace.

Before long, the young guardians were airborne. Static lead them out across the mountains westward and deeper in. Ember, Flame Sparx and Cynder stayed close to her while Stella, Candice and Tremor brought up the rear. They hadn't been flying for more than a couple hours when Static broke the silence between them.

"Follow me!" She called back over her shoulder. "And do exactly as I do!" The guardians nodded and dove after her as she plummeted towards the ground. The wind and water stung their eyes but they forced them to stay open. All around them the wind roared louder and louder.

Up ahead they spotted a mountain that seemed to rise straight up into the fog and disappearing from view.

"Wow." Stella gasped as she stared up at the wall of rock before them.

"Get ready for a gust!" Static called. A split second later she tucked her wings back and dropped slightly. The other guardians followed and were suddenly hit by a powerful rush of air. They all hollered in surprise as they tumbled down towards the rocks below.

Static clung to the rock wall, just out of reach of the slipstream. "Don't open your wings all the way!" She hollered over the roar of the wind. "It'll smash you into the rocks!"

"Bank towards the wall!" Candice shouted. The other guardians straightened themselves and pitched towards the wall. Flame helped Ember get her grip before digging in himself. Cynder latched onto the wall beside them and made sure Sparx was still with them. Candice and Stella dug their long talons into the rock. Beside them Tremor got his footing but didn't dig his claws in as deep. His exhaustion was beginning to show as the wind current pushed him down the side of the wall.

"Tremor, get a grip already!" Candice shouted down at him seeing that he wasn't embedding himself in the rock.

"I got it!" Tremor jolted as if suddenly being woken up. His legs flexed and his claws dug in deep, halting his descent down the side of the mountain.

Seeing that they were all together, Static thrust her head back towards the top of the mountain, still invisible from the fog above.

"From here we climb to the stairs! But be careful! The wind currents are strong!"

"No kidding," Tremor muttered but no one else could hear his low, strained voice.

Static was a fast climber but the guardians moved more cautiously. Ember was extremely hesitant with her climbing making sure that Flame and Cynder were close by to help make sure Spyro didn't slip off as Candice's ice slowly melted away.

"How far up are we going?" Stella huffed after a couple hours of climbing.

"I have no idea," Candice gasped as she struggled to lift herself again, digging her claws into the grooves that Cynder, Flame and Ember were making above them. "I wish there were some ledges or something we could rest on."

"I agree," Stella nodded. "I can't imagine how she does this so easily. She must do it all the time."

"That does seem to be a very possible idea." Candice groaned as she stepped up to the next set of grooves.

Above them Cynder and Flame were having a hard time keeping Ember moving. The pink dragoness was strong but even she had her limits.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take over?" Flame asked for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"Let's not worry about me," Ember mumbled in a tone almost inaudible the her mate. "I just want to get to where we need to go." Ember reached up and dug her claws into the stone. As she started to pull herself up the ice that held Spyro in place cracked. "Oh no." Her eyes widened and she turned to grab at Spyro.

"Spyro!" Cynder suddenly screamed as she watched his body break away from the ice and fall towards the rocks below. Candice and Stella looked up in time to see Spyro falling towards them. The two guardians released one paw and caught the purple dragon together. The force of the fall caused them to lose their grip and they started to slide down the cliff side. They girls screamed before hitting a rock platform and coming to a halt. Stella and Candice looked down in surprise to see Tremor had dug his paws into the stone and saved them from falling to their deaths.

"Are you three alright?" He asked hoarsely.

"Yeah, thanks to your quick thinking." Stella breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tremor only does, he doesn't think," Candice teased which resulted in a laugh from both guardians with Tremor coughing again.

Static climbed down to the four dragons and looked them over. "If you guys are up to it, the stairs are only a hundred yards up and then it's all easy climbing from there." She gave Candice a worried look. "Do you think you can make it?"

"We'll have to." Candice nodded.

"Then let's move!" Tremor grunted and pushed his head up under Spyro to give Stella and Candice as much support as possible. Another two hours passed before the guardians could see a break in the side of the cliff. "I think that's it." Tremor huffed as he gave another push underneath Spyro.

"That seemed a lot farther than just a hundred yards," Candice pointed out and Static blushed slightly.

"Yeah. It was more like five-hundred yards to be honest about it. But I figured that a little positive motivation would be helpful to you guys. I mean, we all need it at some point."

Candice paused to think about that for a moment then smiled. "Thank you."

"Come on you guys! You're almost there!" Flame called from above. He and Ember had already reached the stairs and were helping Cynder scramble up off the side of the wall.

"We're coming!" Stella hollered back. She and Candice dug in harder and hoisted Spyro up to them. The last ten yards of the climb seemed to take every remaining ounce of strength they had. At last all the dragons were gasping safely along the wall of the staircase.

"Great job you guys!" Static chirped excitedly. "You did really well for never having experienced the extreme wind currents that protect our home."

"Our?" Stella panted.

"Of course." Static giggled. "I don't live here by myself you know. There are others that live here from all over the world." She turned and scampered up the stairs a little ways. "Come on, I'll show you!"

"Hold on one second." Tremor raised a paw. "It's just stairs from here up right? No more rock climbing involved."

Static shook her head and removed her goggles. "Nope, just stairs. That's the easy part."

"Then give us a short time to rest." Tremor sighed thankfully. "I'm beat." He lowered his head and collapsed onto the stairs from pure exhaustion.


	5. Chapter 5

Daylight began to break over the dragon city. The sky was overcast with patches of sunlight trying their best to break through. A mist spread across the landscape, making the moist ground nearly invisible to the moles and manweersmalls up on the wall of the city.

The early morning chill roused the guardians from their slumber and the city bells began to ring gently in their ears. The three dragons yawned and roared as they stretched their old muscles and popped their worn out joints.

"Another day has come," Volteer muttered almost sadly and looked out across the dull blue, cloudy sky. "I wonder what has become of our young guardians."

"Let us not lose hope." Terrador shook his head, not wanting to think about what could have happened. "Ignitus wouldn't have any of this moping about if he were still with us."

"Terrador is absolutely right." Cyril nodded. "Standing around wondering isn't going to get anything done for them. We need to come up with a plan and put it into action."

"You are certainly right Cyril." Volteer nodded as he turned back to his comrades. "But without proper knowledge of the situation, how will we ever be able to be of any help?"

"Sometimes it's better to have faith." Terrador placed a massive paw on Volteer's shoulder. "Come. We have a lot of work to get done."

As the guardians lumbered down the hall to the main chamber of the temple the peace of the morning was shattered by the warning bell. The rapid, shrill ringing from down on the wall reached the old dragons' ears and they turned sharp glances at each other before quickening their pace towards the main chamber.

"Another attack by the Dark Master, perhaps?" Volteer pondered aloud.

"If that is the case we must be prepared for battle." Terrador growled and his massive muscles rippled beneath his scales. The three elder dragons thundered through the main chamber of the temple and out towards the large platform at the top of the stairs. They were greeted by a scrambling mole who saluted promptly upon seeing the guardians already awake.

"What's the situation?" Terrador asked and nodded to the sergeant.

"Master Terrador! There's been a black dragon that's been sighted just outside the city walls. He's been reported as being critically injured and our soldiers are currently rushing to meet him."

"Are you sure it's not a trap, or some sort of ploy to lure our forces away from the city?" Volteer leaned down towards the soldier.

"Sir! The necessary precautions have been taken with such a possibility being considered, sir!"

Volteer relaxed slightly and looked down at the wall below. He could see the moles and manweersmalls all scrambling about getting the catapults and weapon emplacements battle ready. Just beyond the wall they could just barely make out the line of moles and manweersmalls rushing towards a little black dot shrouded in the mist.

"Is there any idea who the black dragon is?" Cyril narrowed his eyes at the creature.

"Sir!" The mole stood fully erected and snapped another hasty salute. "It's Liun, sir!"

"Dear ancestors, how long does this staircase go on for?" Tremor groaned.

"Tremor, mind your manners," Candice scolded. "We're guests here so behave yourself."

"It's alright." Static chuckled. "Everyone complains about how much they hate the spiral staircase here. If it wasn't easier than climbing or flying, no one would use it. I personally don't mind it."

"I suppose it is good for working out your legs," Tremor muttered and Candice elbowed him with her elbow barb. "What?"

Candice only glared at him and Tremor shut his mouth.

"It feels like it's getting warmer," Cynder pointed out.

"That's good." Static smiled. "It means we're almost to the top."

"Thank the ancestors," Tremor thought to himself.

"So what exactly is this place?" Ember asked. She was helping Flame along as he carried Spyro up the stairs. After they had gotten their rest he was feeling the most physically capable to look after the purple dragon.

"It's kind of hard to explain." Static tilted her head to the side as she thought about how describe her home. "I suppose the easiest way to put it, at least from what I've gathered, is it's a safe haven for dragons."

"Is that so?" Cynder pondered aloud. "Are you all refugees from the war?"

"Some, yes." Static nodded. "I know a lot of dragons who were lost and orphaned because of the war, but there are still a lot of others who have lived here all their lives and for even hundreds of years before that."

"How come we've never heard of this place?" Flame asked as he and Cynder exchanged perplexed stares.

"It's a sacred place obviously." Ember piped up. "Even the dragon city of Warfang is sacred but it's more accessible and open to the world than this place seems to be." She noticed the way Static looked back at her and she smiled apologetically. "No offense. I was just trying to point out an observation."

"I understand." Static nodded. "It isn't every day you meet visitors from a well-known dragon city."

"Well it's not every day you meet someone in a desolate place like those mountains," Flame added. "I'm just glad Candice spotted you when she did. Otherwise we'd be flying in circles for days more and probably even starve to death."

A shudder ran through the guardians as they thought of the horrible fate that could have befallen them.

"Well you don't need to worry any more," Static chirped. "You'll be safe and comfortable here. I promise."

"We really appreciate this, Static," Cynder spoke up. "You have no idea what Spyro's been through over the last couple months."

"I have a slight idea." Static glanced at the purple dragon draped like a carcass over Flame's back. "Candice explained it when we were looking for your cave."

"Well then I'm glad you know the urgency of our situation." Cynder nodded thankfully. "We came here because Spyro has the ability to see visions of the future. And we believe it was you he saw in his vision and that's why we came here."

"Me?" Static squeaked and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Don't get me wrong." Cynder moved closer to her. "I think it's this place that Spyro needed to find. I think you were supposed to be our guide."

"Oh." Static paused a moment. Her heart was still racing in her chest. "Then I'm glad to be of service." she bowed slightly and took off at a slightly quicker pace up the stairs.

By now the fog was starting to burn away and the rays of sun began to warm the hides of the worn out dragons.

"Oh, wow." Candice breathed deeply, inhaling the fresh air. "That feels so good." Tremor watched her as her chest swelled with enthusiasm. She exhaled and a cloud of frost evaporated from her maw. She looked to Tremor and he inhaled as well, but instead of taking in the air to its full extent he went into another fit of raucous coughing. He fell onto his hind legs and covered his mouth with his forearm.

"Tremor, are you alright?" Candice was immediately beside him and stroking his back with gentle strokes of her paw. Tremor wasn't able to answer. His whole body shook violently and the mountain responded accordingly.

"Whoa!" Ember cursed silently as she staggered about on the stairs. "Tremor, you're going to knock us off the mountain! Get a hold of yourself!"

"Shut up Ember!" Candice snapped harshly. "He can't help it! You've seen the way he's been lately. He's been trying but he can only do so much!"

"Well tell him to try harder!" Ember shot back. "We didn't come this far just to get knocked off the cliff side and start over!"

"Both of you! Knock it off!" Cynder shouted furiously. "This isn't the time or place to be arguing."

"I agree." Stella jumped in. "We're all tired and hungry and more than a bit stressed. Let's just get to the top of the stairs so we can rest. Alright?"

Candice and Ember narrowed their eyes at each other. They were sizing each other up but Tremor's coughing broke their concentration.

"Alright." Candice gave in. "I just want to get Tremor rested so he can feel better."

"Fair enough." Ember muttered and turned back to Cynder, Flame and Static.

"I'm alright Candice. Really." Tremor spat off the cliff again.

"I know you are." Candice sighed and her gaze softened as she stroked his cheek. He was still covered in gashes that hadn't fully been able to heal since she had found him after his encounter with the mutated wolf for the first time. "But I still worry about you."

Tremor sighed and a wheeze burned his throat. "Spyro needs our help more. Let's focus on getting him better first before we worry about me." He walked past Candice who stared at him, deeply fretted by his current state. She stepped on his clubbed tail and he turned to look at her.

"Just promise you'll get some rest soon." She stared him hard in the eyes. "I mean it."

"I promise." Tremor nodded and gave her a slight kiss on the cheek. Another fifteen minutes passed as the guardians made their way to the top of the stairs. All at once the sky opened up and the sun nearly blinded the young dragons. As their eyes adjusted to the light a fresh breeze coursed through them and almost seemed to refresh them.

"It's beautiful up here." Cynder gasped as she looked around.

"Oh just you wait." Static assured her. "You haven't seen anything yet." The yellow dragoness led them around a sharp bend in the stairs and through a small tunnel that led them up a ramp and into the open area of a courtyard. As the guardian's eyes adjusted to the light their eyes dropped in shock and amazement. All around them were dragon pavilions surrounded by beautiful, luscious gardens. Behind the pavilions were multiple temples and a particularly large tower stood tall in the middle of them all with a spiral staircase wrapping around the outer walls. The elaborate mosaic decorations glimmered brilliantly in the sunlight. The central tower seemed to reach towards the heavens themselves as it looked over the rest of the structures around it.

Static smiled when she saw the looks of awe on her new friend's faces. She giggled excitedly and a small surge of electricity sparked around her scales. "Welcome to my home."


	6. Chapter 6

"This place is amazing!" Cynder gasped as she stared up at the majestic towers around her. "I can't believe this place has been untouched by everything that's happened in the past years."

"From what I understand, it was originally an academy for gifted dragons over a thousand years ago," Static explained. "It was nearly destroyed in the first year when the war with the apes started. But now it's been rebuilt and was used for its original purpose but with the intent of protecting those who were gifted enough and strong enough to fight."

"That doesn't make much sense," Candice piped up. "If there are dragons strong enough and powerful enough to fight here, then why were they sheltered from the rest of the world?

"I don't know." Static shook her head. "Once we get your friend to our healers I'll take you to the elders in the main temple."

"Static!" A voice called out. The group turned to see a blue dragon running towards them. His head was lined by five horns with two small ones growing between his eyes. A large scar ran across his right eye and his wings were torn and battered from some traumatizing event. The deep red membranes were marked with the scars of a rough childhood. "There you are." He came to a halt on a ledge of a rock garden just above the guardians. "I've been..." He looked down at the newcomers then to Static.

"They're friends," Static assured him. "They were lost in the wastes and are in need of some help, so I brought them here."

"I see." The blue dragon studied the guardians carefully.

"Everyone, this is Tang." Static introduced the blue dragon who was slightly older than she was. "He's been one of my best friends here since I can remember."

"It's nice to meet you." Cynder bowed and the other guardians followed her example.

"Likewise," Tang replied, still a bit unsure of their presence. Then his eyes fell on Spyro and grew wide. "A purple dragon? No way!" He hopped off the ledge and was about to move closer to inspect Spyro when Static stopped him.

"Now isn't the time." She shook her head. "We need to get him some help."

"Uh, right." Tang nodded. "I'll run on ahead and tell the healers at the pavilion to get ready."

"Tell them it's going to be an emergency." Static called after him as he ran back up the stairs, leading out of the gardens and towards the pavilions.

"You got it!" Tang hollered over his shoulder before vanishing around a corner. When he was gone, Static breathed a sigh of relief. Tang was one of the oldest of the teenaged dragons and had always been protective of his friends. She was glad he trusted her enough to take her word about the situation.

As the guardians followed Static through the gardens, they looked around as other dragons lifted their heads to check them out. There were so many and of all shapes and sizes. There was a black dragon with frills running down his back and green stripes covering his body. Another was blue with black star-shaped patches across her body. A yellow male dragon sat close to the walkway. His belly scales were pale yellow, almost white and wore golden rings around his ankles to match his coloring. Up on the roof of one of the pavilions sat a teal-green dragon with curvy, black horns and bright orange wings. His tail drooped over the edge of the roof along the gutter and Ember noticed the bull's eye marking on the tip of his tail.

"Hey, check it out." The dragon chuckled and nudged a sleeping black dragon beside him. "We have some fresh meat."

The black dragon lifted a sleepy head and stared down at Static and the guardians before elbowing the teal dragon with his elbows which were covered in short, sharp barbs.

"Be nice Plax. They're guests. Don't go making trouble for them already."

"I was only kidding Zephyr. Lighten up." Plax rubbed his side from the sharp jab.

By now the gardens were abuzz with whispers and talk about the guardians' arrival. Before they knew it the guardians had a small parade following at a distance, whispering to each other the rest of the way through the pavilions.

"You think they get a lot of visitors around here?" Stella whispered to Candice.

"My guess would be not in a long time."

"We're here," Static announced and the guardians turned their attention to a white pavilion with red and gold stones peppered across its walls. The large doorway was covered by a light blue curtain and a young, white dragoness stepped out into the open sun.

"Tang told me you were bringing wounded." She spoke hastily. "Where are they?" She looked around the group of guardians not sure who to tend to first. They all looked battered and worn out from days of constant fights and travels.

Cynder seemed to notice her expression and spoke up for the group. "We're just fine, but Spyro is the one in the most critical condition. Flame, taking his cue, stepped forward and the white dragoness gasped in horror.

"By the ancestors! Get him inside, hurry. We have much to do!"

Flame hustled the purple dragon inside and disappeared behind the curtain with Cynder and Ember following close behind.

"We'll just wait here," Tremor called after them.

The inside of the pavilion was fairly well lit. The white dragoness led the three dragons to a back room with a wide open window. In the middle of the room there was a depression in the floor with a thick overgrowth of lilies spread across it.

"Set him here," The dragoness ordered. "But be careful, it takes some time to get used to the lilies."

"Um, right." Flame nodded and timidly stepped out onto the lilies. They rippled and the sound of water underneath could be heard. Immediately the fire guardian yanked his paw back and stared at the white dragoness.

"It's alright." She assured him and walked over beside the lilies. She stepped onto the pads to show him how to move. "They won't break as long as you're gentle with them."

"Gentle..." Flame echoed and again moved to set foot onto the pads. "I think I've got it." Step by step, he moved towards the middle of the large pad and lowered his body to allow the dragoness to slide Spyro off of him. Once she had him settled she stepped off of the pads and motioned for Flame to follow. The fire guardian followed her back to Ember and Cynder.

"You can leave the rest to me for now," The dragoness replied. "You all should get some rest. I'm sure you've had a long journey."

"I can help," Ember piped up. "I'm a healer too you know."

"Really?" The white dragoness nodded enthusiastically. "I will be sure to call on you for assistance once you've gotten some rest."

"But," Ember started but the dragoness raised a paw. "I won't take no for an answer. I insist that you get some rest before coming back to help. Now shoo!" She fluttered her wings irritatedly, trying to get them to leave. Flame and Ember exchanged glances before shrugging and turning towards the front of the pavilion. Cynder paused for a moment to look back at Spyro. He was finally at rest there on the lilies and she wished she could be beside him.

The white dragoness noticed her expression and smiled softly. "If you want you may return as well. I know how hard it must be to see your mate in this state."

"W-what?" Cynder stammered, her cheek immediately beginning to burn. "H-how do you know he's my mate? What would make you think that?"

"By the look in your eyes," The dragoness replied. I may not be as old as you but I know love when I see it." She looked around the pavilion room as if searching for something. "This place seems to bring out the true feelings of those who enter. When you see someone you care about in peril, your true emotions start to come out." She smiled and placed a comforting paw on Cynder's shoulder. "It's no small wonder you have feelings for him. I can see in your eyes that you both have been through a lot together." Cynder could only blush more and try to hide her reddening cheeks. The white dragoness laughed. "Go get some rest. I'll do my very best for him. I promise."

"Thank you." Cynder bowed deeply, tears glossing her eyes. She stepped outside and blinked into the light.

"Are you alright?" Stella asked as she walked up and placed a comforting wing around the black dragoness.

"I'll be fine." Cynder gave a weak smile to assure her.

"You don't need to worry about anything." Static piped up. "Singe is one of the best at what she does. She may not be as old as the other dragons but she's just as good."

"Thank you Static." Cynder wiped her eyes, relieved to get some stress off her chest. "You don't know how much this means to me." The yellow dragoness only smiled warmly in response.


	7. Chapter 7

The group of dragons outside the healing pavilion had grown substantially. All were eagerly asking questions and eyeing the new arrivals.

"Easy now everyone," Plax called over the noise of voices. "Let's give our guests some breathing room." The crowd backed up in response and gave the dragons some space.

"Thank you Plax." Static smirked. "I think we should take our new friends to see the elders so they know that we have guests."

"I think I saw Tang already heading towards the temple," The teal dragon replied, thrusting his dark horns towards a tall tower near the main one.

"Let's head over and meet them there," Zephyr suggested. The black dragon turned to the guardians. "If that's all right with you of course."

"We don't mind," Flame replied after exchanging glances with his companions.

"Alright." Zephyr nodded. "You may follow us then." He turned and led the way out of the cluster of pavilions and towards the looming towers beyond.

Off to the side a red dragon watched them go. When they disappeared into the crowd of onlookers he turned and rushed down the streets until he came to the edge of the residential section of the pavilions. Off to the side, away from the other structures was a single pavilion, painted black with green gems lining its walls. The curtain over the front was ragged and torn from extreme weathering.

The red dragon came to a halt outside the curtain. He raised a paw and tapped on the wall with his hard claws.

"Hello, anyone home?" He called out. There was a muffled groan from inside and the red dragon poked his head inside. As usual it was almost pitch black with no windows or other doors to let the light in. "Max, you up?"

"I'm up," An annoyed voice groaned. The red dragon looked up at the black dragon the seemed to manifest out of the darkness itself. "What's going on?" He asked rubbing his eye with the back of his wrist.

"We have some visitors," The red dragon chirped excitedly. "Static brought a bunch of new dragons to the city."

"Oh boy." Max rolled his eyes.

"No, no no." The red dragon shook his head. "You have to see them! There are girls too!"

The sensory barbs on the back of Max's next stood erect. "Ok, now you've got my attention."

"I knew that would." the red dragon smiled. "Come on! They're on their way to the temple to see the elders."

Zephyr and Static led the guardians down the long path towards the main temple. As they drew closer they spotted a small procession of elderly dragons walking down the stone walkway to meet them.

"It seems they were expecting us," Stella mumbled to Candice who gave a slight nod.

"Welcome young Guardians." A large lightning dragon stopped the procession and bowed deeply to the youngsters. This action caused Static and Zephyr to look at each other, stupefied at seeing their elders bowing to these new comers whom they had just laid eyes on. The elder's actions caused a stir of whispering in the group of dragons following the guardians.

The elder looked up and locked his eyes on the crowd. "You ones, where are your manners? Show our guests the respect they deserve." There was a flurry of claws scratching against the stone as the crowd of dragons dipped their bodies and bowed their heads.

"I apologize. They weren't aware that you were the guardians of our world." The elder explained as he and his fellow elders rose.

"Aw, don't sweat it." Sparx waved. "It's not like we go around advertising it."

"Indeed." The elder chuckled, genuinely amused by the dragonfly's remark. "We were expecting you for some time, but weren't sure when you'd come."

"Excuse me?" Ember raised a brow skeptically and glanced from Flame to Cynder. "How'd you know we were coming?"

"Your friend told us, of course," The elder replied with a smile. "He came here no more than a couple of weeks ago requesting shelter and the chance to train some of our young dragons in the ways of magic."

"Who could that be?" Flame asked, just as puzzled as his mate.

"I believe that would be me." An old raspy voice spoke up from within the group of dragon elders. The lightning dragon stepped away to allow the speaker to be seen. Flame and the other guardians immediately snarled and bared their teeth and spread their wings wide as they took up defensive stances.

"Exile!" Cynder exclaimed and leaped gleefully onto him. The old wolf laughed as the dragoness did her best to hug him as he stroked her head comfortingly. The guardians shared bewildered looks.

"Um, did I miss something?" Tremor asked, pricking himself with his claws to make sure he was awake.

"Normally I'd say yes," Candice replied. "But in this case I'm not sure anymore."

"Cynder." Ember stepped forward cautiously, keeping a wary eye on Exile. "You do realize that's a wolf right?"

"I know." Cynder turned to her with tears of joy shining in her eyes. "It was when I was captured that I met Exile here when I was imprisoned. He's the one who taught me how to use my powers to transform and master my elements to their full extent."

"Uh..." Ember fell silent as she stared up at the old wolf.

Cynder noticed that he looked to be in much better shape than he had in the dungeon. "How did you get out of the dungeons?" Cynder asked. "I thought you were dead."

Exile knelt down and rubbed her head some more. "Don't fret about it. The city was being abandoned so I was able to slip out when that black dragon came to the city."

"Liun." Cynder growled and her long talons dug into the stone.

"Come now." Exile raised her chin up. "We are united once again and your friend is safe. All of you." He gave a quick glance to the other guardians. "That is something to be thankful for."

"He does have a point." Stella piped up and rubbed her side against Cynder's before looking up at the old wolf. "Thank you for the support you've given to Cynder. And to all of us." She looked over her shoulder at her friends. "Right?" The guardians all mumbled and nodded slightly. "I'm sorry about them." Stella apologized as she turned back to the wolf. "They're not exactly... um."

Exile raised a hand. "You need not explain, I understand. Your friend Cynder was the same way when we first met. I would like to express my deepest apologies for the actions my kind have pressed on you all. I know it doesn't make up for the damage that's been done." He extended a hand towards the other dragons in a gesture of friendship. "But I hope that together we can bring an end to this madness."

The guardians all looked at one another. The tension seemed to grow thicker than the fog surrounding the mountain in that moment in time. Tremor was the first to step forward, much to everyone's surprise. He looked up at Exile and gave a loud sigh.

"I know my sister can't be brought back," he said with a slight crack in his voice that even struck a painful note in Candice's heart. "But we can make sure that no one else has to go through the same thing." He placed his paw in Exile's and they nodded in agreement.

"My condolences for your sister," Exile whispered. "I'm sure she'd be proud of you."

Tremor smirked. "I know she is." He was then playfully shoved out of the way by Candice.

"I'm still not sure if I trust the whole idea of working with wolves. But if Tremor is oaky with it, then I'm willing to support him in his decision."

"As any mate should." Exile smiled and gave the ice dragoness a sly wink. Candice suddenly felt the blood rush to her face and she stepped away and moved close to Tremor.

Flame and Ember both looked up at the wolf suspiciously. Their tails bumped against one another in their own little private conversation.

"I'd have to agree with Candice." Ember piped up. "If Tremor is willing to trust you and make steps towards improvement, I'm willing to follow along. But I'm not Tremor's mate." She looked at Flame who kept his stare fixed on Exile. "Flame? Whatever you choose, I'll follow along with it."

"I don't have a choice." Flame shook his head. "I'm a guardian, and I'm supposed to protect this world. Even if it means joining forces with someone on the enemy's side to bring about the greater good." He raised his paw to exile and the wolf graciously took it.

Ember placed her paw on top of Exiles. "For the safety of our world?" She looked up at the old wolf, her blue eyes seeming to stare deep into him as if trying to find anything that may rouse her suspicions.

"For the safety of our world. "Exile nodded placing his other hand on top of hers and giving it an assuring squeeze.

"Very well done young guardians." The lightning elder nodded vigorously. He reminded the young dragons of Volteer. "Now that we have the formalities out of the way, allow me to introduce myself and my colleagues. The elder stepped aside as a very old ice dragoness stepped forward and bowed.

"Welcome guardians. I am Tyrannica." The guardians nodded and she stepped away for another dragon to come forward. The elder of fire was a very clean and polished dragon for his age. He could have passed for Ignitus's brother had the two of them been side by side.

"I am merely Ash." The elder bowed. "I am at your service, my young guardians. If there's anything you desire do not hesitate to ask me."

"Thank you." Stella perked up cheerfully, almost glowing with excitement, despite their long journey.

The next elder was a very pale earth dragon. His scales showed residue of having been once vibrantly green like Tremor's at a point in time but were now showing their age. "It is an honor and a privilege to meet you young guardians." He spoke in a raspy voice. "I, Uranus, am delighted to be in your presence."

"It's just as much an honor for us too," Stella replied for her friends who bobbed their heads dumbly.

The last elder to step forward and introduce herself was a relatively young black dragoness. She was definitely aging past her prime but definitely not as old as the other elders. She bowed deeply and held her head low and spoke in a very monotone voice. "I am the elder dragoness Wraith." She murmured. "It's very nice to have you all."

The guardians couldn't help but notice, she resembled Cynder in her adult form and even the young black dragoness took note as well.

As the elders returned to their positions the lightning elder stepped forward and gave a very pleased nod of his head. "And lastly, I am the senior elder Magnitus. And let me say, welcome to Certrona, our home." The guardians took a moment to stare in awe around this new place and Magnitus smiled. "Come, we shall show you around." He turned and walked out along the path towards the northern gardens. While the guardians continued to look around and take in their surroundings, Magnitus explained to them the history of their city.

"This wondrous place was built over one thousand years ago just after the start of the Great War." He seemed somewhat proud but also slightly saddened by the thought of his home's history.

"You mean with the Dark Master?" Flame asked.

"No, the war with the apes," Cynder replied. "The war with Malefor wasn't until the last two hundred years."

"Very good." Magnitus nodded, impressed by the young dragoness's knowledge of history. "My great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather, Ampus, was the one who built this city. It was named in honor of two very powerful dragons and close friends he had lost in the early years of the Dragon-Ape war."

"Wow." Stella gasped with amazement as she looked around the gardens and paused to sniff at a particularly dense cluster of roses.

"This place was once a dragon city itself back in those days. It was well known for its dragon training academy for young dragons that showed special skill in many areas such as combat, magic and politics."

"Sounds almost like it was a guardian training academy," Tremor spoke up.

"Indeed." Magnitus nodded, even more impressed with the intelligent young minds that had graced their presence. "It was here that the role of guardians were first appointed. Ampus, was the third guardian of lightning back in those days."

"You must be very proud," Stella pointed out as she noticed the charge increase within the old dragon's body.

Magnitus only chuckled. "Well I never got to be guardian, unfortunately. Shortly after this place was built, Ampus decided to have it become a secluded city and a safe haven to dragons who chose to reside here. So he had the earth guardian at the time move it into the frozen wastes away from invaders and high up to where there was peace and tranquility."

"I'm not surprised now that I never found this place," Cynder muttered. "And I'm glad I didn't. This place here is so beautiful. I'd feel awful if I had destroyed it."

"Indeed." The elders all glanced at the black dragoness who hung her head low. Magnitus extended a wing and lifted her chin up. "Do not worry about the past young one." He smiled. "It's over and all you can do now is simply learn from it."

Cynder cracked a slight smile and nodded. "Thank you."

"So how did this place fare during the war with the Dark Master?" Ember asked curiously. "I'm sure that it must have been a rather tense time, right?"

"It was a bit hectic I must say." Magnitus gazed up at the warm sun. "We had received word from a dragon who had lost his way fleeing a battle ground after his fellow guardians had been captured by one of the Dark Master's generals."

"Ignitus." Cynder gasped.

"Whoa!" Sparx jumped in. He had been quietly taking in the news but now felt the urge to speak up. "Ignitus knew about this place? Why didn't he tell any of us? We could have used your help fighting the Dark Master rather than getting our butts kicked all over the place."

"Sparx!" Stella snapped, silencing the dragonfly.

"I understand how you must feel." Magnitus shook his head sadly. "Believe me it was not our intention to just simply sit by and watch as dragon-kind was destroyed, little by little." The elder sighed and they came to a stop at the edge of the gardens and looked out over the puffy fog just below the cliff. "I have many dragons capable of combat and show great skill in their abilities. I had even volunteered to help Ignitus. But the guardian of fire wouldn't have it. He said he would rather meet death than see every last dragon destroyed." Magnitus hung his head and sighed even louder. His shoulders slumped in grief. "That dragon was so wise and had such a strong sense of duty."

Cynder smiled and placed her paw on top of Magnitus's massive foot. "That sounds just like Ignitus. And I can't think of him any other way."

Seeing the dragonesses smile and glistening eyes seemed to raise the spirits of the elder. "So what has become of Ignitus these days?" The old dragon perked up and puffed his chest out slightly. "Is he well?"

Cynder bobbed her head slightly. "He's fine the last time we spoke. Just after we defeated Malefor for the first time, he became the new Chronicler."

"Oh my!" Tyrannica gasped. "That is a rare honor indeed. The last we heard of a dragon being related to the chronicler was the dragoness this city was partly named after."

"A female Chronicler?" Sparx raised a brow and Stella swatted him with her tail spade.

"Little is known about her connection with him unfortunately." Tyrannica shook her head. "Crona was always described as being a very closed-off kind of dragoness. She confided in very few other dragons, and even when she did she was very subtle about it."

"I see," Cynder nodded. She scratched her chin and looked back to Magnitus. "And what about the other dragon your grandfather was friends with? What was he like?"

Magnitus chuckled again. It tickled him to know that these young dragons were so curious about the history of his home, unlike most other dragons their age.

"Well, I think we've had enough with story time for one day. I'll explain about Certo's past to you another day." That name seemed to ring a familiar bell with Cynder, yet for some reason she couldn't figure out why. "But for now, you youngsters should get some rest. You've had a long journey to get here and I'm sure you all are in dire need of relaxation." Magnitus turned and started back towards the pavilions with the elders close behind. The guardians followed closely with Tremor and Candice up front and Cynder, Sparx and Stella bringing up the rear.

As they walked through the streets Stella began to feel a presence around her. She leaned towards Cynder and whispered, "I think we're still attracting a lot of attention."

"What do you mean?" Cynder asked, looking around as if surveying the city more.

"I can feel someone's eyes on us." Stella replied. She was sensing the bodily charge of a pair of dragons that were following them.

"Here we are," Magnitus spoke up, breaking the lightning guardian's concentration. He extended a wing into the large pavilion giving the young dragons access. "Feel free to explore as much as you wish. And if there's anything you need, do not hesitate to ask. This is a place of learning as well as living."

"Thank you very much," Ember spoke up cheerfully.

"The pleasure is ours." Tyrannica bowed. "Food shall be waiting when you young ones have woken up. Until then, enjoy your rest."

As the guardians disappeared behind the curtain, Stella stopped and looked over her shoulder. Several yards away she saw the head of a red dragon sticking out from behind another building. He gave a startled squeak, surprised that he had been spotted and ducked away. Stella was puzzled but soon smiled and giggled slightly before following her friends inside for a much needed slumber.


	8. Chapter 8

Infernus and the other dragon city elders came lumbering down the hall in a flustered hurry. The noise and commotion of the alarm bells ringing throughout the city had caused quite the disturbance with the old dragons.

"What is going on?" Infernus asked of a guard passing by.

"Liun was found just outside the city walls. He's been brought into the healer's ward for treatment."

"Show us," Infernus ordered and the mole saluted with a mild squeak. He hustled along on his tiny legs and the dragons followed along almost on his heels. After descending to the lower parts of the city and passing through several corridors, the mole finally pointed down the hall to the medical ward.

"Just up ahead is the healer's clinic," He reported and immediately stepped to the side as the dragons forced themselves past him. Upon drawing closer to the ward, they spotted Terrador, Cyril and Volteer exiting the clinic.

"What has happened?" Infernus asked urgently as he and his followers came to stop before the guardians.

"Liun has been found in critical condition." Terrador shook his head. "He's been wounded badly and the healer suspects there may not be much we can do for him at this point."

Cyril shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately the young dragon may not even make it to nightfall."

"I would be inclined to disagree," Volteer spoke up. "His condition is serious, yes. But he made it all the way here in that state. I wouldn't be one to count him out just yet."

"Perhaps we should take a look and see if there's anything to be done about his condition." Infernus insisted.

"He's currently unconscious." Cyril shook his head. "And the healer is doing all he can to stabilize him as we speak."

"It will only take a moment." Infernus pleaded. "He is originally from our city. I think being able to let him know that we are here for him should be the least we can do."

"Very well." Terrador sighed, not wanting to step back into the ward. "But let's not be too long. The more we interrupt, the less of a chance he has."

Infernus nodded and the guardians stepped out of the way. The old, red dragon placed a paw against the door and pushed it open with a loud creak. The moles working on the young dragon turned and gave the old dragons a quick nod in acknowledgement before getting back to work, cleaning and mending the black dragon's wounds. Liun was covered in jagged slash marks and his features were hideously deformed from the lava burns.

"By the ancestors," one of the elders gasped in horror. "Who or what could have done this?"

"We have yet to find out," Terrador replied, grabbing their attention. Infernus and his attendants turned to face the guardians. "If he survives, he should be able to tell us what happened to him and the other guardians."

"Until then," Volteer hung his head sadly. "We can only hope." The room grew very quiet as the dragons pondered over the situation.

Just then the silence was broken by an eerie howl in the distance. Every head in the room perked up and the dragons glanced from one another.

"Hear that?" Terrador growled to his companions.

"I'm afraid so." Cyril snarled back and angry jets of frost shot from his nostrils. "Wolves."

The moles turned their attention towards the elders. None of them noticed that the wounds on the black dragon's body were slowly beginning to seal up.

"They sound close," Volteer observed. "They must have followed Liun when he fled wherever it was he came from."

"If it's an attack the size of the force that invaded the eastern city, we should raise the alarm immediately." Infernus hissed and plumes of smoke escaped between his teeth.

"Agreed." Terrador nodded. "We should expect an attack at any minute."

It was then that one of the moles looked down at Liun to see his body healing itself. The rodent gave a surprised gasp and immediately the black dragon's eyes snapped open. In a sudden flurry of wings and blades, the black dragon sprang to life, slashing the throats of the healers surrounding the table. Their gargling cries caught the attention of the elder dragons. Before they could turn to see what the disturbance was, Liun sprang off the table onto the back of the nearest elder; the old lightning dragon Infernus had brought along. The dragon bellowed in pain when Liun plunged his tail blade into the old dragon's spine, paralyzing him. The other dragons watched in shock as the lightning elder fell to the floor in a spray of blood. Liun stood triumphantly on the elder's back, tail blade glistening red with blood. The guardians were frozen in shock as they watched the last of the black dragon's wounds seal themselves up.

"Surprise!" Liun laughed with a frightening grin. His eyes flashed yellow and he lunged for the guardians.

Miles away in the safety of the dragon city Certrona, Spyro stirred in his sleep. Singe had finished bandaging him up and introducing healing ointments into his body. The sudden groan from the purple dragon caught the dragoness's attention and she leaned over him expecting him to open his eyes. Instead Spyro's blood began to boil and he began tossing and turning in his slumber.

"Hey, there. Easy now," Singe whispered gently placing a damp lily on his forehead. The gesture seemed to settle the purple dragon down and his breathing returned to normal.

"Warfang... Danger..." He whimpered in his sleep before laying still again.

Stella yawned as the rays of sun broke through the curtains to the pavilion. The warm sun felt refreshing against her scales and she cooed softly to herself. After several minutes she opened her eyes and stretched, popping her stiff joints. She glanced around the large room to see Tremor and Candice still sleeping, curled tightly around each other. Tremor was wheezing slightly but Candice considered it soothing, unaware of what really caused the soft buzzing in the earth dragon's lungs.

Flame was still asleep but Ember was awake and stroking the fire guardian's back while he slept. The pink dragoness raised her head when Stella got to her feet and the two smiled and nodded to each other. Cynder was already gone and Stella had a good idea where she was already. The lightning dragoness slipped outside the curtain. The morning air felt so good inside her lungs when she inhaled with everything she had. There was something almost magical about this place. Even with everything that was going on in the world, it had managed to remain hidden and untouched by evil. Stella found herself daydreaming as she strolled down the street towards the healer's pavilion. When she got there she found Cynder already inside helping Singe wherever she required assistance.

"Good morning." The lightning dragoness greeted them, making sure not to make too much noise.

Both dragons turned to face her and Singe smiled. "Good morning," She chirped with a courteous bow. "You must be Stella, our guardian of lightning." Stella blushed; she wasn't used to getting this sort of attention. Singe noticed and laughed humorously. "It's an honor to meet you all. I'm Singe, one of the healers in training here in the city."

"It's very nice to meet you Singe." Stella nodded courteously and glanced at Cynder. "How's Spyro doing?"

"Better." Singe sighed, a bit fatigued from a long night of work. "I'm glad to say his body is reacting nicely to the remedies I've been giving him."

"That's great!" Stella exclaimed then cupped her paws over her mouth. "Sorry."

Singe laughed again. "It's nothing to worry about. We have no problems with others growing excited around here. It's healthy to express your feelings."

Stella giggled and blushed slightly. She looked over at Cynder who continued to stare down at Spyro with a blank look on her face. "Are you alright, Cynder?"

"I'm fine," Cynder mumbled and got to her feet. She gave Singe a smile, but it was obvious it was forced. "Would you excuse me for a little while please?"

"Absolutely." Singe nodded.

"Thank you." Cynder turned towards the front of the pavilion and disappeared into the sunlight.

"She'll be fine once your friend wakes up." Singe piped up when she saw Stella's worried look. "She's got something on her mind she needs to sort out."

"It's that obvious huh?" Stella replied with a slight smirk; Singe was proving to be a very bright and observant dragoness.

Singe only smiled. "Love is tough. It can make you lighter than air or heavier than the ground we stand on. It just depends on what we choose to do about it."

Stella nodded understandingly. "Well if I know Cynder, she's not one to take it lying down."

"She sure seems like she loves him." Singe nodded and looked down at Spyro. The color was already beginning to come back to his scales. He looked more relaxed now than Stella had seen him in weeks.

A gentle smile spread across Stella's muzzle. "I once told Spyro that I admired him a lot because of who he is and that Cynder is a very lucky dragoness to have him. I don't think either of them will give up fighting for each other even if it means the end of the world again."

"Indeed." Singe nodded. "And I hope you won't give up either." This caused Stella to jolt and stare wide-eyed at the white dragoness. After the initial shock she smiled.

"I suppose it wouldn't be very characteristic of me to do so huh?"

"A dragoness like you being alone without a mate would definitely be a surprise to me." Singe chuckled. "You've got the looks and the smarts to go along with them. I'm surprised most of the single boys around here haven't made any approaches to you yet."

Stella giggled childishly as she thought about the red dragon she had spotted, checking her out. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. But thank you for the compliments." She smiled. She turned to leave but stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "You have a mate yourself right?"

Singe only blushed. "I do have a special someone in my life." She responded, her heart beginning to beat more enthusiastically. "And I'm very lucky to have him."

Stella's smile widened. "And I'm sure he feels the same about you too." She and Singe locked gazes and they both giggled again. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." Singe bowed. "I hope we can talk again soon."

"Count on it." Stella nodded before ducking outside into the bright light. She shielded her eyes behind her wing and took a step forward. Suddenly something sharp pricked her paw. There was a soft snap and Stella yipped in surprise. She looked down to see a rose lying on the ground in front of the clinic. It was a pale yellow with pink lining the tips of the petals. She looked around but found no sign of any other dragons watching or paying attention. After a brief moment of puzzlement she picked up the flower delicately in her jaws and headed back towards the guardian's pavilion. When she was out of sight a shadow on the overhang of the clinic began to move. The shadow moved across the stone streets and behind another pavilion adjacent to the clinic. Standing there was the red dragon that Stella had spotted the day before.

"Well?" He asked excitedly. "Did she get it?"

The shadow began to grow and slowly Max reappeared in his normal form. "Well, she stepped on it," He replied.

"Oh." The red dragon hung his head and fidgeted with front paws in disappointment.

"Hey, I told you she most likely would," Max pointed out and then a smile spread across his elongated muzzle. "But in this case it was a good thing because she noticed it."

"Really?" The red dragon looked up with excitement burning in his eyes. Max nodded and the red dragon began to spin in circles, overjoyed that his plan had worked.

"She even took it too," Max added. "So that's a good sign."

"This is great! You have to help me get her some more."

"No way." Max shook his head. "You're on your own for those ones buddy. I just agreed to help out this time because you were so nervous to go through with this you almost couldn't walk."

"I was not!"

Max snorted. "Yeah you were. You kept babbling all night about how you wanted to give her a flower but didn't know how to do it. So when I offered to help you, I was finally able to get some rest." The red dragon lowered his gaze. He knew his friend was right.

"Alright. Thank you anyways Max. I really appreciate it."

"Anytime buddy." The black dragon nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have my own lady to introduce myself to."

"Good luck!" The red dragon called as he watched his friend rush off into the gardens. When he was out of sight, he turned and began plotting his next surprise for the guardian of lightning. "She's going to love this." He chuckled gleefully to himself.


	9. Chapter 9

Stella walked back to the pavilion and ducked inside. Ember was still awake and Flame seemed to be showing signs of waking up. Candice had just woken up a few minutes before and still looked rather groggy. Tremor remained curled up beside her as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

"Where'd you get that?" Ember asked when she saw the rose in Stella's mouth.

"I stepped on it," Stella replied after setting it down on her giant pillow that was easily three times her size. The pavilion itself was bigger than all the guardians' chambers put together. "I walked outside the healer's clinic and there it was."

"No one was around to give it to you?" Ember and Candice shot each other surprised glances when Stella shook her head.

"Nope. Just the flower." She looked at the bottom of her paw that had stepped on the gift and gave it a soothing lick. "Though it could have been a bit less painful. But still sweet none the less."

"Any idea who it may have come from?" Candice asked curiously.

"Not entirely." Stella shrugged with a tickled grin. "Though I have an idea."

"Oh?" Ember leaned towards her, eager for more details on her friend's secret admirer.

Stella blushed and dangled the rose between her talons, inspecting the petals closely. "I spotted a dragon eyeing us yesterday when the elders were taking us around the gardens. He seemed rather shy so I didn't go chasing after him, plus I was tired as well." She looked down at her cushion as she recalled the dragon's face. "Though he did seem rather interested in us."

"More like interested in you." Candice chuckled causing the lightning guardian's temperature to rise even more.

"So did you get a good look at his face?"

"Sort of," Stella replied. "He has deep red scales and golden, yellow belly scales and unfortunately that's all I saw of him before he hid from view."

"Oh." Candice muttered slyly. "Sounds mysterious. I wish I had someone to bring me flowers like that."

"Overrated." Tremor spoke up causing the girls to jump. He felt Candice look down at him and he smiled; his eyes still closed. The ice dragoness gave him a playful shove and he chuckled.

"So what are you going to do if this dragon ever confronts you?" Ember asked, turning the conversation back to the main topic.

Stella paused and rubbed her chin. "I don't know." She pondered aloud. "I suppose I'll have to play it by ear. Because so far I haven't seen him face to face."

Candice giggled. "Seems like someone is a little shy. Maybe you intimidate him Stella."

"I don't see why she wouldn't." Tremor cracked one eye open. "You saw their reaction when they heard we were the guardians. So I'd imagine that who ever this guy is, he's trying to get you to notice him but is worried you'll ignore him to death because you're such a respected dragoness."

"Any other day I'd call you an idiot." Candice smirked. "But for once you're making sense."

"Thank you." Tremor bumped her thigh with his horns and Candice leaned down to give him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Well I hope that who ever he is, he's not too scared to come talk to me," Stella continued. "I'd like a guy who is confident enough to talk to me and not let my title of guardian hold him back."

"Then how about you go out there and open yourself up for him to come talk to you," Ember suggested, giving Stella a push towards the curtain. "You deserve a nice guy. So go scout around and see what he's like."

"Alright, I'm going." Stella laughed as she turned towards the curtain. "I'll see you all later." She ducked outside and stared at the ground.

Back inside, the other guardians smiled at each other then turned when Stella poked her head back inside. In her mouth was another rose.

Cynder sat in the gardens at the edge of the pavilions. The grass was soft and lush and the smell helped her relax. She sighed as a pleasant breeze passed by. The gardens were beautiful and the peacefulness enticed her to unwind but for some reason her mind was still restless.

Another loud sigh escaped and she hung her head.

"Are you okay?" A voice asked, startling the black dragoness. Cynder jumped to her feet and whirled around, causing the wind to swirl about her, picking up leaves and flower petals in the current.

Standing there was the most peculiar dragon Cynder had ever laid eyes on. His scales were just as dark as hers with bright green scales covering his soft underbelly. He had two large horns raking back behind his skull with dozens of thin, pointy spines sticking up along his neck. His tail and wings were tipped with savage blades that reminded Cynder of her days as Malefor's general. But it wasn't these that sparked Cynder's interest, it was the fact that he was bipedal. The dragon stood on his powerful, muscular hind legs leaving his long grasping front legs to do as they pleased. Each foot was tipped with three claws, the third being equipped with a scythe-like claw that could do some serious damage to a dragon if used on them.

The black dragon found her staring at his appearance and he smiled. "Should I hold still for a while?"

Cynder snapped out her trance. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She gasped and turned away, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I didn't mean to stare."

"It's okay," The dragon replied with an amused chuckle. "Everyone does at first. I've gotten used to it."

"Oh." Cynder glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "I've never seen a dragon like you before."

"It's not my normal form." The dragon replied taking a couple steps closer. Cynder noticed how his strides seemed almost delicate and graceful. "But I'm not complaining."

"What happened to you?" Cynder asked then squeaked in chagrin again. "I mean if you don't mind talking about it."

"Not at all." The dragon laughed at first but then his expression darkened. "Although there's not much to tell. All I know is from what the elders have told me."

"You don't remember?" Cynder cocked her head sideways at him.

The dragon shook his head. "It's mostly fuzzy to me. I was brought here by accident when I was rescued by a dragon when I was young. They apparently told the elders I had been corrupted by dark magic and was being turned into some sort of monster when they rescued me." He looked himself over and tapped his killer claws on the ground.

"How long ago was this?" Cynder asked curiously. There was something familiar about his words but she wasn't certain she wanted to find out.

The dragon paused a moment to think. Cynder noticed the way he curled his claws as he tried to recall the event he was speaking of. "About ten years ago."

"Malefor." Cynder hissed and her eyes seemed to glow.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" The dragon cocked his head sideways, surprised that this new dragoness knew anything about his past.

Cynder sighed. "Ever heard of Cynder, the black dragon? Terror of the skies?"

"Sounds familiar," the dragon nodded. "I heard she was the Dark Master's general."

"Well you're looking at her," Cynder replied, not at all proud of having to associate herself with Malefor.

"You?" The dragon's jaw dropped. "You're Cynder? But I heard she was monstrous! That her wings could blot out the sun! That the shadows she cast could shroud the world in darkness." Cynder hung her head and the dragon realized what he had done. "I... I'm sorry." He stammered. "I didn't know it was such a painful subject for you."

"I'm not proud of the things I've done." Cynder murmured. "That's why over the last few years I've worked hard to redeem myself. I've hurt so many..." Her voice trailed off and was interrupted by a sniffle. "Even the dragon I love."

The black dragon shrank back slightly at this but raised a hand and laid it on Cynder's shoulder. "I'm sorry," He apologized again. "I suppose I should leave you be for now."

"No!" Cynder protested, wrapping her tail around his as he turned to leave. "Please stay. I could use the company."

The black dragon stared at her with his bright green eyes for a hard moment. "Very well then." He nodded and turned back to her. "If it will help make you feel better."

"Thank you." Cynder wiped her eyes making sure no tears escaped. "I just realized I don't even know your name yet."

The black dragon smiled. "It's Max." He gave a courteous bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you Cynder."


	10. Chapter 10

Cynder and Max sat in the garden talking for hours on end. Despite the current circumstances of her mate, Cynder was happy to get her thoughts away from Spyro and clear her mind of all the negativity in the world. She talked about her adventures with Spyro and how they had defeated the Malefor the first time and how he had come back and how they had ended up in Certrona.

"Sounds like you've been around quite a bit for someone your age," Max pointed out, genuinely intrigued by her story.

Cynder gave a light chuckle. "I guess you could say that. I wish it were under better circumstances."

"Speaking of which." Max shifted on his large, bird-like hip bone and fluttered his wings. "What about your friend who Singe is taking care of? Is he going to be alright?"

Cynder nodded and gazed out at the fog beyond the cliffs. "She says he's stable and recovering as well as can be expected."

Max tilted his head slightly and stared at her hard. "But you're still sad," He pointed out, noticing the glossiness in her eyes.

Cynder gave another dismal sigh. "It's nothing."

"I don't believe that for a second," Max nearly spat, surprising Cynder in the process. "If there's something on your mind, you should get it off or it just builds up. And then it'll just hurt you more when you finally come out with it."

"I know." Cynder bobbed her head. "But it's not your problem. You shouldn't have to worry about it."

"I'm well aware." Max nodded. "But perhaps talking about it to a friend will help you sort your thoughts. It's better to have a clear mind than a clouded one and deliver the wrong message."

"I understand what you're saying." Cynder looked the raptor-like dragon in the eyes. "But you don't have to go out of your way."

Max laid a hand on Cynder's shoulder and draped his tail over hers. "I'm not asking because I have to Cynder. I am because I want to." Cynder was frozen for a moment. Something about his words and actions reminded her of Spyro. Her cheeks flushed and she had to turn away to hide her face. Max removed his hand and waited for her to speak. After a long moment Cynder turned back to face him.

"Spyro isn't just a friend to me." She started and Max felt his insides flutter but managed to keep the same straight face. "He's my best friend in the whole world. He's my savior, my idol, my one true love and my future life mate."

"I see." Max replied on a monotone voice.

"But lately things just seemed to get more and more complicated."

"How so?"

Cynder gave another sigh and went on to explain about how Spyro had lost all of his powers and the horrifying scene she had witnessed when he had gone berserk and exploded. When she was done Max sat with his jaw hanging open in disbelief.

"I'm amazed he even survived something like that," He gasped after a moment of silence. "It's no wonder he's in as bad a shape as everyone says." Indeed there had been a lot of talk amongst the other dragons of Certrona about Spyro's condition.

"But what hurts the most is that he didn't even recognize who I was. It was as if he had no memory of me at all." Cynder's shoulders slumped and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I understand." Max sighed and bravely draped a wing over her back. "But you're only thinking about it from your perspective. What about Spyro's? What do you think was running through his mind at the time?"

"I... I don't know..." Cynder stammered. "I wasn't sure but I figured since it was me, I could bring him back."

"But if this... Liun guy was toying with his mind then who knows what damage he might have caused for Spyro not to recognize his own life mate."

"I guess that didn't really cross my mind until now," Cynder muttered shamefully. "But when you get that close to someone to only have them torn away like that..." She looked Max in the eye and shook her head. "It's just mind boggling. And it hurts more than any wound I've ever suffered." She looked down and Max noticed the nasty wound on her breast scales. It was unmistakably a large puncture wound but from what, he had no idea. The scales were forming over the scar tissue, hiding the ugly mark.

"Well I for one can sympathize with Spyro." Max broke the silence after a long moment. "You said that you didn't tell him about what was going on in fear that he would over react and from what it sounds like he did anyways. Am I right?" Cynder nodded quietly. "Well I, personally, wouldn't have kept something like that a secret from my supposed life mate. Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming you, but if you're going to be together you should handle each other's problems together."

Cynder twisted her lips intuitively as she thought about the dragon's words. He did have a very good point but doubt still lingered in the back of her mind like a buzzing gnat. At last she looked up at Max and spoke.

"Do you think Spyro is the right one for me?" She asked, almost shocked that she had even brought such a question up.

Max only stared at her. The silence that passed between the two dragons was almost torturous. Max fought with himself over what he could say and what he should say. His conscience nagged at him to the point where he couldn't take it anymore.

"I can't say for certain Cynder," He finally replied, "I don't have the power to see the future." Cynder nodded understandingly and stared at the flowers around her. "But, if I had to give an opinion, I'd say that you and Spyro really are made for each other. I mean, judging by how much you two have been through together and how much you two love each other. I'd be shocked and probably have a heart attack if you two didn't spend the rest of your lives together."

"Really?" Cynder looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

Max's heart ached as he stared into her magnificent, turquoise eyes. He had not met Spyro yet but already he was feeling very envious of the purple dragon. However, he cared for this lovely black dragoness sitting before him and could not bear to see her unhappy. After a moment he sighed and nodded.

Cynder sniffled and wiped away her tears before smiling genuinely for the first time in weeks. "Thank you Max. I think I'm starting to feel better now."

Max forced a smile and nodded. "Good. I'm sure Spyro wouldn't like you being so glum and I sure as all hell can't stand seeing you down either."

Cynder blushed. "You're really sweet." She leaned in and gave the black dragon a kiss on his boney cheek. When she looked at him she notice the way his scales seemed to almost brighten and his spines stand fully erect. She giggled and Max had to look away. After a moment he started laughing as well; something he rarely did. After the laughter had died down they both sighed and spent a long time just quietly staring out at the vast clouds of fog that burned away into wisps of vapor in the midday sun.

"This place is beautiful." Cynder broke the silence after a while. "I wish I could stay here forever."

"Ditto," Max answered. Cynder turned her head and stared at the raptor in surprise. The black dragon snapped out of his trance, realizing that he had just spoken his mind and felt his cheeks start to burn again. "I was agreeing with you about how beautiful this place is." He tried to save himself but wasn't certain Cynder was buying into it. He turned and looked down at the flowers that surrounded them. "I know this isn't your home, and that you'll have to leave eventually. But I hope that you do enjoy this place for what it is while you can."

A smile tugged at the corner of Cynder's mouth. "That's very kind of you."

"Hey!" A sudden shout grabbed their attention and caused both black dragons to jump to their feet. They turned to see Ember glide down from the sky and land in front of them. "There you are, Cynder." She looked at Max and gave him a quick sweep. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, uh..." Cynder nearly choked as she remembered her manners. "Ember, this is Max. Max, this is Ember. She was one of the candidates to become fire guardian a year ago."

"Yeah, now I'm the fire guardian's advisor." Ember nodded modestly.

"Hi." Max bowed and smiled. He had seen this dragoness before from the safety of the shadows when the guardians first arrived. She always stayed close to the red dragon in their group, making Max almost certain they were a couple.

"What seems to be the hurry?" Cynder asked.

"You have to come to the clinic. It's urgent."

Cynder felt her heart nearly stop and her legs froze up. "Is something wrong? Is everything okay with Spyro?" She managed to speak.

Ember gave a soft comforting smile and nodded. "He's awake."

Spyro had been tossing and turning in his sleep. His dreams were plagued with nightmares and visions of death and war. He could see the city of Warfang burning as the moles and manweersmalls fleeing for their lives as the hordes of mutant wolves gave chase.

"No! Leave them alone!" He shouted furiously as he looked down from the sky, unable to take control of his body and help them out. The rodents scrambled across the ground, dropping most of their weapons and armor to make themselves lighter to get away from the bloodthirsty canines. The manweersmalls were the first to dive fore shelter. The ones in front flung themselves towards the woods and began to burrow furiously into the ground. The other manweersmalls followed after them or started digging their own holes as the moles did their best to hold off their pursuers. The beasts swung their long, massive claws, knocking the moles out of the way, spreading their blood across the ground. The wounded lay screaming in pain as the wolves turned their attention away from the manweersmalls. Spyro could only watch in horror as he saw the warriors that guarded his home being cut down before his very eyes.

"Stop!" The purple dragon wailed helplessly. "I said stop!"

"Spyro!" A voice called from the distance and the purple dragon's head jerked up in response. Suddenly everything around him went dark. He was standing with his shadow casting an incandescent light up underneath him. "Spyro, wake up!"

"Who... who's there?" Spyro called turning around in circles trying to get a fix on where the voice was coming from.

"It's me Spyro. It's Ember." The voice seemed to grow louder.

"Ember? Where are you? I can't see you! I have no idea where I am!"

"You're safe Spyro. I promise. You just have to do one thing to find me."

"What is it? I'll do whatever it takes." Spyro pleaded on the verge of tears, wanting desperately to be brought out of this nightmare.

"Wake up." Ember's voice came in a gentle whisper.

"Huh?" Spyro raised an eye brow and suddenly he felt a cool breeze sweep over his body. He began to glow with a soft golden aura and slowly the darkness began to fade away.

At last Spyro opened his eyes. His eyeballs rolled around to see Ember and another white dragoness beside her. Both females smiled down at him.

"Welcome back," Ember cried softly and leaned down to hug Spyro as best she could without hurting him too much. "Welcome back Spyro."


	11. Chapter 11

Spyro lay gasping on the surface of the water lilies as Singe stroked his head. Ember had gone to get Cynder and the others and had been absent for almost twenty minutes.

"Where am I?" Spyro groaned and looked up at Singe with glazed, groggy eyes.

"Shhhh." Singe hushed him gently. "You're safe and among friends. That's all you need to know for now.

"Spyro!" Cynder's voice came from far outside the pavilion.

"Cynder?" Spyro tried to rise but was still too weak to move much. The sound of beating wings reached his ears and then was replaced by the sound of running footsteps. Cynder burst through the curtain to his room and skid to a halt. When she saw her mate's valiant amethyst eyes, a smile of pure joy spread across her face.

"Spyro!" She sobbed and practically threw herself onto him. She had to control herself as she stepped delicately onto the lilies and flopped down beside him smothering his face with kisses. "Thank the ancestors you're awake! I was so scared you'd never make it through!"

"Cynder," Spyro wheezed and licked the end of her snout. "I'm... I'm sorry."

His dragoness pulled away with tears of delight streaming down her cheeks. She shook her head and her smile seemed to widen. "It's okay. You don't have to apologize. I... I..." She could not restrain herself anymore and pressed her lips against his into a deep and passionate kiss. She had missed him so much; his eyes, his voice, his warmth when he was around her. Despite all that had happened she couldn't bring herself to feel sad any more.

It was then that Max entered the pavilion and ducked under the curtain. When he saw Cynder he seemed almost frozen and his mouth fell open. Singe glanced at him and noticed the look on his face and fluttered her wings to get his attention. Max snapped out of his trance and locked eyes with the healer. Singe shook her head and Max felt his heart sink. He breathed a deep, sad sigh and forced a smile onto his muzzle.

At that moment the other guardians arrived and nearly shoved Max out of the way. Smiles spread across their mouths when they saw Cynder and Spyro finally reunited.

"Spyro! You're awake!" Sparx flung himself into his brother's cheek and squeezed him as hard as he could.

"Sparx," Spyro gasped weakly as he turned his head. He had tears of joy in his eyes as well. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't worry you too much."

"Nah!" Sparx waved. "Only had me worried to the point where I worried away a few years of my life. Nothing major."

The guardians all laughed but stopped when Tremor started to cough harshly.

"It's good to have you back buddy," Flame spoke up as he and the other guardians walked up beside the lilies. "We missed you."

"I'm sorry everyone." Spyro shook his head. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"It's not your fault Spyro," Stella replied in her usual gentle, soothing tone. "We don't blame you. Liun was playing with your mind. You didn't know any better."

"Liun..." Spyro's voice drifted off before his eyes suddenly widened. "Warfang!" He gasped.

"What?" The guardians all stared at one another in confusion.

"Warfang! It's under attack!" Spyro explained and tried to rise but Cynder and Singe held him down.

"No, Spyro!" Cynder scolded. "You're in no shape to fight."

"But Terrador and the others! The moles! The manweersmalls! They'll be killed!" The purple dragon continued to struggle against the paws that held him down.

"You'll be killed for sure if you go!" Cynder cried. "Please Spyro! Don't! Please." She started to cry again and buried her head in his chest.

"But Cynder... I..." Spyro stammered, not sure what to do; help his friends or listen to his dragoness's reasoning.

"She's right you know." Spyro looked over to see Exile step up behind the guardians who made a path for him. Spyro's eyes widened and his muscles tensed. "If you were to try and leave in your condition you would die for sure." He looked at the other dragons who only nodded reassuringly. Exile knelt down and placed a hand on Spyro's forehead which seemed to relax him. The purple dragon sighed and fell back asleep. Cynder wiped her eyes and looked up at her mentor who smiled and pat her on the head comfortingly. "You don't need to worry. All will be well when he wakes up again. But for now, just see to it that he rests."

"I will." Cynder nodded with a faint smile. Exile bowed and ducked back under the curtain. The other dragons followed him outside when Stella suddenly yelped in pain. Everyone turned to see she had stepped on another rose, this time quite seriously. Max, who had followed them, nearly smacked himself in the face.

"Are you kidding me?" He thought to himself. "He couldn't be more original than the first idea?" He looked at Stella and tried to put on an innocent face. "That's a rather sweet yet painful way to get your attention."

"Yeah." Stella smirked as she licked her paw. "This one dragon keeps leaving them for me every time I turn my back. He's given me nearly a dozen today alone."

"I see," Max nodded and pretended to be contemplating about the situation. "And what do you think of the whole idea of leaving you a bouquet scattered about for you to find?"

Stella paused a moment to think and fiddle with the rose between her talons. "I think it's very sweet. But now he's gotten me so curious as to who he is, it's almost killing me."

Max pressed his lips together and tapped his cheek with a claw. He gave the area a quick visual scan before leaning in close to Stella. "If I were you I'd wait until he leaves you another gift then surprise him yourself," He whispered mischievously, knowing full well he was setting his friend up. However, he knew it was for his own good to get him and Stella to finally meet face to face.

Stella saw through Max's plan and a devilish smile spread across her mouth. "I like that idea." She nodded approvingly. "I'll do that. What is your name, by the way?"

"Max," the black dragon smiled genuinely and gave a polite bow.

"Well, thank you Max. I appreciate the advice. I'm Stella, by the way." She gave a slight bow herself. "If you don't mind. I'd like to test out your idea."

A sly grin spread across the black dragon's mouth. "Go for it." He chuckled. Stella gave a soft chuckle and took off back towards the guardian's pavilion. Max turned to face the remaining guardians who all eyed him with great interest.

"So, Max," Tremor was the first to speak. "How did you grow to look like that if you don't mind me asking?"

Max was taken aback slightly by the question. No one had ever been that forward with him before, but apparently Tremor was the curious type of dragon. "Well..." Max started and scratched his cheek with a long claw.

Stella slowed her run to a graceful walk. She gripped her new rose between her jaws, being cautious not to bite down on it too hard. As she neared the pavilion she began to trop in an almost flirtatious manner. Just as she expected, the rose was waiting for her in front of the pavilion. She smiled and narrowed her eyes at the gift.

"And that makes twelve," She thought to herself. Her tail twitched excitedly at what she was about to do.

Close by, the red dragon peered around the corner of a nearby pavilion. When he saw Stella coming he felt his heart leap for joy. He crouched down low in the shadows waiting for her to find the rose he left. When the pink guardian had come shortly before, the guardians had all left in a hurry, giving him the perfect opportunity. Now the dragoness who had captured his heart was returning to receive another gift from him.

He watched Stella gracefully walk up to the pavilion and stop to look down at the rose. The dragoness looked around, pretending to be curious about who may have left such a present for her. The red dragon smiled and pressed himself against the wall a little more. He was about to slink away when Stella stepped over the rose and stopped. The young male looked at her curiously.

"Does she not want it?" He thought nervously to himself. Stella looked down at the rose with a smile on her face which only continued to confuse her admirer.

Then Stella began to pace around the rose in great circles. The red dragon cocked his head sideways, clearly confused by this behavior. He had never seen any of the females before behave this way. "Maybe it's a custom where she's from." He whispered to himself. He continued to watch Stella circle the rose. The lightning dragoness kept her eyes fixed on the flower. She began to sway her elegant hips from side to side causing her tail to sway gracefully behind her. The red dragon found himself awestruck at the way she nimbly stepped around her own invisible path.

When Stella stopped, she bent her head down before arching her back into a deep stretch. The rays of sun glistened off her scales giving her an almost celestial glow. The red dragon swallowed hard as he felt his heart rate spike and his blood begin to boil as he took in the sight of her alluring shoulder muscles and seductive back. His tail spade began to rattle against the ground excitedly as Stella rolled her shoulders back and wiggled her hips letting the light reflect off her golden, yellow scales.

But the light didn't die down, it only intensified. The brilliance of Stella's electrical energy blinded the red dragon and he was forced to turn away and shield his eyes. It took him a moment to focus as the glare slowly died away. He rubbed his eyes and blinked several times at the ground. His vision started to clear and he noticed a golden yellow figure standing in front of him. Slowly his eyes rose up to see Stella grinning at him excitedly.

"Oh." He gulped.

"Gotcha!" Stella exclaimed and tackled the red dragon to the ground. The male's eyes grew wide and he grit his teeth when the guardian pinned him down. He closed his eyes and waited for a strike or a harsh statement to slap him across the face. Much to his surprise, he heard giggling. He cracked an eye open and stared up at Stella who wore a grin spread across her muzzle and eyes that glimmered excitedly. "So you're the dragon who has been stalking me these past couple days." She laughed.

The red dragon's cheeks burned and the temperature of the air seemed to respond accordingly.

"H-how did you know?" He stammered, unsure of what the dragoness would do to him.

"Simple." Stella smiled. She raised one paw and lightly dragged her talons along the red dragon's golden yellow belly scales until her paw was over his heart. "You see every creature has an electric pulse. And I can sense that pulse in the air. When you started getting excited, the pulse grew stronger so it pretty much led me right to you."

"Oh." The dragon gulped again. "I guess I kind of did myself in."

Stella giggled again. "Nah. I figured if you were around my little display would get your attention. You're just male." Both dragons laughed and found themselves staring down at each other when their belly scales bumped against each other. "So," Stella continued, "Why are you leaving me so many gifts lying about?" Her tone of voice made the red dragon's heart beat faster and a smile tugged at her cheeks as she noticed.

"Um..." He swallowed hard. "I was just trying to get you to notice me." He chuckled nervously.

"I figured that much." Stella smirked. "But I think that was established after the first couple roses."

"Oh," The dragon muttered unsure of how he should be feeling.

Stella laughed again, putting the red dragon's mind at ease. "You don't need to worry about it too much. I think a dozen roses to get my attention is very sweet of you."

"Really?" The dragon sat up slightly almost bringing his nose to Stella's. The lightning dragoness nodded. "So you really liked them?"

"I've kept each one haven't I?" The red dragon shrank back sheepishly and gave a silly grin. "Though I have to say, even though it's sweet, I'm not a big fan of the stalker approach."

"Oh, sorry." The red dragon averted his eyes.

"It's alright." Stella gave him a playful bump with her snout. "You didn't know. So it's not a big deal. It was still sweet bringing me flowers like you did."

"Well... I, um..." The dragon was beginning to blush again.

"So what's your name?" Stella asked as he stepped off of him. He slowly got to his feet, giving Stella her first good look at him. She could immediately tell that he was younger than she but that hadn't stopped him from initiating a friendship. His scales were deep crimson and the reflection of light off his golden yellow belly scales gave him an almost fiery air. His claws were longer than most males and matched his jet-black horns that surrounded his head. A row of five yellow spines raked back from his forehead and stopped at the base of his spine. The last thing Stella noticed were the sunspots along his snout, known as dragon freckles. These little sunspots gave him an almost innocent appeal making him look younger than he really was.

"I'm Infernus," He chirped excitedly at having been asked about who he was.

Stella blinked a couple times and shook her head. "Is everything alright?" The red dragon asked, tilting his head towards her.

"Y-yeah," Stella replied. "It just took me by surprise. I know of dragon elder back home with the same name."

"I see." Infernus nodded. "I can see how that would be a bit odd." He gave a youthful laugh and Stella couldn't help but smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Infernus. I'm Stella."

"I'm glad to finally be able to talk to you, Stella." Infernus's smile spread from one side of his face to the other. He was easily the happiest dragon in the world right now.


	12. Chapter 12

Days passed by quickly for the young guardians as Spyro continued to steadily recover. By the second day his appetite had returned and shortly after he was able to once again stand on his own. However Cynder insisted that he continue to allow her to help him.

"I'm thankful for your help, but we should get back to Warfang as soon as we can," The purple dragon insisted when brought before the elders of Certrona.

"We understand your urgency Spyro." Magnitus nodded. "But from what we've been told by your friends, you have been through quite a rough time yourself. And we think it is best that you remain here for the time being until you've recovered completely."

"But I'm fine," Spyro insisted and stood on his hind legs to flap his wings.

"Spyro," Cynder scolded and brought him back down on all fours. The other guardians stood to either side of them and exchanged worried glances. The news of Spyro's vision of the home had been very disheartening to them. Their first instinct was to go on ahead and deal with Liun and hold out until Spyro had recovered; Candice, Stella, Flame and Cynder had shot that idea out of the air almost immediately.

"That won't do us any good," Flame protested. "The Dark Master is far stronger than all of us put together. To leave without Spyro and Cynder would be nothing short of suicide."

"At least we'd be giving the city a fighting chance against those mangy wolves!" Tremor had coughed back, not fully able to get worked up due to his coughing and sputtering. "The longer we wait here the greater chance they have at being wiped out and killed off completely!"

"I have to agree with Tremor." Ember pointed out. "We can't just let them die. Warfang was a haven for them. We've all depended on each other and we owe it to them to protect them. They're counting on us!"

"That's the point though, Ember," Candice jumped in before Flame could reply. "They're not helpless by any means. But we can't afford to be rash about fighting the Dark Master. Not any more. We've lost so much and we can't afford to lose any more. The next time we meet, we need to be certain we can defeat him once and for all."

Ember hissed and smoke billowed from her nostrils. She knew she wasn't an official guardian but she knew what her duty was none the less.

Now the pink dragoness glanced at Candice out of the corner of her eye. The ice guardian felt her eyes and turned her head. Ember nodded and Candice stepped forward.

"If I may be granted to speak, we may have come up with an idea."

The elders looked down at her with great interest. Candice had spent some time with the elders when she wasn't taking care of Tremor and had proven to be quite the sharp mind in the elder dragon's meetings.

"Well, our main problem involves Spyro. As you know, his power over the elements has been drained from him completely. He still possesses the power of Convexity but we fear that may not be enough when it comes to defeating Malefor. It wasn't enough before so we need to be sure that we can deal away with him the next chance we get."

"What do you propose?" Tyrannica asked, narrowing her eyes at the young dragoness.

"That Spyro be allowed to train here where he can learn in a safe and secure environment away from the enemy," Candice replied. "We believe he's still the only hope for the future of our world. Not just our home but here as well. If the Dark Master comes to power again there will be no hiding from his wrath this time around." The elders mumbled between themselves and Candice glanced over her shoulder at her friends. They all nodded approvingly at her idea. At last Magnitus turned back around.

"We have decided to cooperate and allow Spyro the time he needs to regain his lost powers." The guardians all smiled and exchanged excited glances. "However, he will have to learn on his own." He glanced down at Cynder who nodded understandingly. Spyro had always relied on her for strength but he would have to learn to find his strength in her without her being there. "Exile will be the one to teach him."

The old wolf stepped forward off the stairs beside the dragon elders. Spyro looked at Cynder who smiled warmly at him.

"Do your best," She whispered and gave him a quick kiss on the side of his muzzle.

"I won't let you down." The purple dragon nodded determinedly. "Never again."

"You'll be fine." Sparx waved. "You always seem to pull through for us in the end no matter what." He gave his brother a hug and Spyro growled affectionately.

"You two take care of yourselves." He glanced from Cynder to Sparx.

"We will." Cynder nodded.

"Promised." Sparx hung a tiny arm around the black dragoness's neck and Cynder draped her wing around him, pulling him closer to her.

"We should get to work," Exile interrupted.

"Right." Spyro nodded and walked up beside him. The two ascended the stairs until they were beside the elders.

"Be well." Magnitus bowed to the old wolf.

"As with you, friend." Exile smiled and bowed deeply.

Spyro glanced back at his friends and smiled almost sadly. He hated being separated from them but deep down he knew this was for the best.

"Come." Exile motioned for the purple dragon to follow. The elders parted and revealed a pair of doors behind them. Magnitus stepped forward and spread his wings wide. The old dragon began to glow with electricity and his chest seemed to swell with energy. All at once he unleashed a roar that echoed throughout the temple and shook the walls. The young guardians cringed from the deafening sound. Bolts of lightning danced around the temple chamber and before long, the guardians began to notice that each bolt was striking a stone embedded around the great doors. All ten lit up and the energy seemed to focus in the center crystal that held the two doors together. The light was blinding and the young dragons shielded themselves behind their wings. When the illumination died they poked their heads out and stared in awe as the doors now stood open. The chamber beyond was lit with crystals, now fully charged with electric energy; they would remain lit for days on end easily.

Spyro gave one last glance back at his comrades before following Exile into the chamber. Cynder thought she saw him mouth something to her but was unable to make out what he had said; though she had a pretty good idea. As the doors slammed shut the elders turned back to the guardians. "I suggest that we retire for the remainder of the day," Magnitus suggested. "They will not be done for some time I believe. Until then all we can do is wait."

The young guardians all nodded reluctantly and turned towards the main doors. Outside, they were greeted by several of their new friends. Infernus was the first to spring to his feet and go running straight for Stella.

"Hey, is everything okay?" He asked eagerly.

Stella giggled. "Everything is fine so far." She nodded and gave him an affectionate nuzzle. "Did you miss us?"

"Yeah." Infernus gave his usual goofy smile. "But I missed you most of all."

Stella laughed full heartedly. "He really is cute." She thought to herself.

While the two of them made small talk Max walked up to Cynder and Sparx who looked a little forlorn. He gave a slight huff and Cynder looked up at him, forcing a smile. The two black dragons seemed to be communicating with the slightest movements and changes in facial expressions. At last Max nodded understandingly and turned to Tremor.

"So, how about we go do something lively?" He suggested.

"Is that a good idea?" Candice asked with a raised brow.

"Why not?" Tremor spoke up eagerly. "It will give us something to do."

"I suppose," Candice muttered knowing full well what Tremor could do.

"Come on!" Max turned and motioned for the others to follow him. The guardians followed the black dragon to a large open plateau behind the city.

"This is the training grounds," Infernus explained to them. "We spar here all the time and learn from the elders how to fight intelligently."

"I see." Stella nodded as she eyed the area. The ground was scorched and had holes blown out of the stone in several areas. Boulders and broken tree trunks littered the area as well as the burned remains of various shrubs. "Looks like it gets rather intense around here."

Infernus felt his temperature rise; he knew he had contributed a great deal to the mess she now looked at.

Max walked out to the middle of the area and turned to face Tremor. The male's eyes locked and a smirk spread across Tremor's face. The earth guardian walked out onto the training ground and stood perfectly calm as he stared down his opponent. By now several other dragons were gathering to see what was going on.

"Hey, what's going on?" Tang asked curiously as he walked up to Plax and Zephyr who had arrived shortly before him. Static walked at his side and looked on with great interest.

"It looks like Max is going to spar one of the guardians," Plax replied without breaking his stare.

"Oh?" Tang, being slightly shorter than the two older dragons stretched his neck to see over their shoulders. Static on the other hand walked over to a nearby pillar that had toppled over and sat patiently waiting for the match to begin.

"I'm curious to see how he fares against Max." Zephyr pointed out. "I know he's no guardian, but Max is far from being a push over."

No sooner had he spoke than Max let loose a piercing shriek and sprang into the air, claws outstretched. Tremor easily side-stepped and rammed him in the side with his horns. The raptor dragon rolled and bounced across the ground and came to a halt on his side. A soft murmur came from the crowd of onlookers. Max got to his feet and shook his wings, dusting himself off. He smiled as he turned towards Tremor who wore a calm, cocky smirk.

Max hissed and charged again. Tremor charged as well and lowered his head to ram into the raptor's gut. Max reared his head back and gave a shark jerk of his head. Tremor groaned as he felt the black dragon's jaws clamp down on his neck. Max forced him into the ground but Tremor was not about to be pinned so easily. He kicked his hind legs and somersaulted, twisting Max's neck and landing on top of his head. The black dragon gave a pain-filled and startled squall as the earth dragon dropped his weight onto his head. Tremor got to his feet and rolled his neck, relieving himself of the tight pinch.

As Max got to his feet Tremor leaped into the air and slammed his feet into the ground, catapulting Max into the air. The raptor shrieked in surprise and Tremor launched himself into the air after him. Max saw him coming and gave a powerful kick, striking Tremor in the chest. The earth dragon suddenly felt sick to his stomach and hit the ground and bounced to a stop. It wasn't a powerful blow but Candice saw the affect it had on Tremor and stepped forward immediately. The other dragons saw her reaction and looked at one another anxiously waiting to see what she would do.

Tremor rose off the ground and coughed hard as he clutched at his chest. Blood trickled from his nose and mouth and his chest heaved violently as he tried to get air into his body. Max paused and waited for his opponent to come at him again but when none came he began to grow suspicious. He landed and slowly approached Tremor.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked curiously.

Tremor gasped and wheezed like a dying fish as he tried to force the fluid out of his lungs. Gradually the other dragons began to draw closer to them. Candice was at Tremor's side in a heart beat.

"Hey, are you alright?" She asked worriedly until she saw the blood, and her jaw dropped. "Tremor, what happened?" She gasped. The earth dragon could only cough and spit up more blood onto the ground.

"What's going on now?" Tang called, trying to see over the mass of dragon bodies that crowded around Tremor.

"I think he's hurt," Plax replied.

"Is it serious?"

"I'm not sure." The teal dragon shook his head. "Maybe we should go get Singe."

"Good idea." Zephyr nodded as he turned around. The three of them pushed through the mass of dragon bodies and ran as fast as their legs could carry them to the healer's pavilion


	13. Chapter 13

"What's going on?" Singe called as she hurried out of her pavilion. The guardians were carrying Tremor over on Flame's back. The earth guardian was still coughing hoarsely, spattering blood across Flame's shoulder and onto the ground.

"We're not sure," Ember replied. "I went to heal him but I can't find any signs of damage."

"Are you sure?" Singe asked, surprised at the dragoness's words.

"The only injury he had was the bite on his neck," Ember explained. "But that's no reason for him to be coughing up blood the way he is."

"I see." Singe nodded understandingly. "Bring him inside and we'll see what we can do."

"Thank you," Flame muttered, thankful to get the bloody earth dragon off his back. Singe led the guardians to the same room where she had treated Spyro and helped settle him down onto the lilies. As Tremor settled onto his stomach his coughing began to worsen. He hacked and sputtered and more blood stained the luscious green water plants.

"Give me some space," Singe ordered and the guardians stepped back and let her have some room. By now the other dragons had formed a cluster in the main chamber of the pavilion and were chattering in hushed tones to themselves. Singe looked up after a moment and glanced over at the dragons that had come to warn her. "Plax, Zephyr. Would you two be a couple sweethearts and have everyone wait outside kindly?"

"You got it!" Plax nodded a bit too enthusiastically. He and the black dragon Zephyr turned and started towards their dragon friends. "Alright everyone, outside with you all. Singe needs her space and your noise isn't going to help her get her work done."

The other dragons moaned and grumbled irritatedly as they were forced to file out of the healer's pavilion. Once they were outside, Infernus pushed forward to get a look inside the pavilion.

"Sorry Infernus," Zephyr halted him with a raised wing. "Singe doesn't want anyone inside except the guardians."

"But..." The red dragon gave the older dragon a hurt look.

"It's okay," A voice spoke up from behind Zephyr and Plax. They turned to see Stella standing there with a worried smile on her face. "He's with me."

An excited grin spread across Infernus's mouth. He ducked under Zephyr's wing leaving him and Plax to stare dumbfounded at what they had just witnessed.

"Thanks Stella," Infernus whispered, being sure to keep his voice down.

"No problem." Stella smiled. "Let's just be sure to stay out of everyone's way, alright?"

"I understand." the red dragon nodded. The two of them sat down beside each other beside the lily bed and stared at Tremor as he continued to cough.

"W-what's happening to me?" He groaned only to worsen his breathing.

"Shhhhhh," Candice murmured gently. "We'll get you fixed up in just a little bit. Just try and relax."

Tremor only coughed at her words and more blood sprayed from his nostrils. "I can't take this any more Candice." He wheezed. "I just can't."

"Tremor, we need you to be quiet," Ember ordered. She was on the opposite side from Singe and was doing her best to search deeper into the earth guardian's body. However, both healers weren't having much luck. After nearly thirty minutes of coughing, Singe had had enough. She walked over to a curtain and brushed it aside revealing drawers with labels engraved into the wood. She drummed her talons on the wood for a moment as she pondered her next course of action. At last she came to a decision.

"Infernus. Tang." She turned and both youngsters sat straight up in attention. "Run and get Leafwind. We need his help for this."

"Aye aye!" Infernus and Tang saluted before disappearing outside.

"What's your plan?" Ember asked curiously.

"I'm not sure." Singe sighed sadly. "All we can do for now is make your friend more comfortable." She pulled open one of the drawers and looked back over her shoulder. "Hold your breath everyone." The guardians did as they were told and Singe took in a deep breath. She grabbed a very thick bramble and broke off one of the thick leaves. It resembled an aloe vera plant but displayed a bluish hue around its burs. Singe carried the plant back to Tremor and split it in half. Immediately the guardians could feel the strong aroma against their sensitive facial scales and their eyes began to water. Singe tapped Tremor on his shoulder and the earth dragon opened his eyes. He looked at the root and sniffed it. He gasped and inhaled deeply causing a loud gurgle to emanate from the back of his throat. His eyes widened before they rolled back in his head. The earth dragon passed out and Singe exhaled a gust of flame, burning the plant and leaving an air of mint hanging in the room. The guardians exhaled, happy to breathe again.

"What was that?" Candice asked as she stroked her unconscious mate's back.

"A special plant we call dentyne," Singe explained as she closed up her drawers. "Its raw odor is strong enough to knock out any adult dragon but when set on fire it leaves the air feeling fresh and relaxes those that breath it in."

"Well, I think it works like a charm." Flame nodded. "I'll bet you could have used that when you and Tremor first met huh Candice?" The guardians all chuckled at that; even Candice. The ice guardian lay her head down next to Tremor and closed her eyes to listen to his heart beat. She had only been lying still for a moment when her brow furrowed.

"Do you guys hear what I hear?" She asked.

"What is it?" Ember asked as Candice motioned her and Singe over.

"Listen to Tremor's breathing." Candice stepped back and tapped a talon against the guardian's side. Ember and Singe put the sides of their heads to him and they began to hear it too.

"It sounds like water," Singe spoke up and cave the ice dragoness a disturbed look.

"Or something thicker," Ember added.

"Blood," Candice muttered darkly. "He's got blood in his lungs."

"That would make sense," Ember pondered aloud. "He did take a nasty kick to the chest."

"No, it wasn't Max." Candice shook her head. "Haven't you noticed since the battle at Cynder's old fortress he's been coughing non stop and only seems to get worse?"

"Yeah." Stella nodded. "Do you think it was from an injury sustained with the wolves?"

"I'm not sure." Candice's expression grew more serious. "That battle with the Alpha wolf really seemed to take a toll on him."

"Perhaps he's sustained internal injuries," Singe pointed out. "And if that's the case, it's going to be even harder to heal him than we originally expected."

Outside the pavilion, Cynder waited with Max with the group of dragons. Max hung his head shamefully and stared at the ground; his killer claws tapped the stones nervously.

"You know it wasn't your fault," Cynder spoke up and gave him an assuring nudge with her shoulder. Max didn't respond. Cynder sighed and jabbed him in the thigh with her tail barb.

"Ow!" Max yelped, snapping out of his trance.

"I said it wasn't your fault, Max," Cynder repeated.

"How can you say that?" Max demanded hurtfully. "You saw what happened. I kicked him and it was all over from there on."

Cynder shook her head. "Max, Tremor's injury isn't because of you. It may have flared up again because of you but it's not your fault he's injured. We've been in constant battles over the last two months. Tremor has probably taken more wounds and injuries than the rest of us put together. He's nearly died on several occasions but thanks to his stubbornness he keeps coming back to us." She gave Max another playful nudge. "So don't worry about it. Alright? I'm sure he'll be fine."

Max stared into her eyes. They seemed too confident and unwavering. At last the raptor smiled and gave her a thankful nuzzle under the chin. "Thanks Cynder." He growled affectionately and Cynder gave a slight coo of satisfaction.

It was then that they heard the sounds of claws on the stone and the black dragons turned their attention towards the pavilion. Infernus ad Tang came bounding up to the entrance followed by a green dragon a few years older than Spyro and Cynder.

"Uh oh." Max muttered as the three of them disappeared inside the pavilion.

"What? What is it?" Cynder asked alarmed at the tone in her friend's voice.

"It's Leafwind. They've brought him in to look at Tremor."

"And that's a bad thing?"

Max turned and fixed Cynder with his radiant green eyes. "It means that the situation is beyond Singe's ability to handle. It's a lot more serious than any of us expected."

"Oh no." Cynder's eyes widened as she stared back at the building. Her thoughts drifted from Tremor to Candice and how she may be handling the situation. "I think we should go inside. See if we can help in any way."

"I don't think I can be of any assistance." Max shook his head.

"You won't know until you try," Cynder retorted as she got to her feet. She wrapped her tail around Max's wrist and gave it a forceful tug. "Now come on. You're with me on this one."

Max stared at the dragoness with surprised and confused eyes. "I, um..."

"Let's go!" Cynder order and gave a firm stamp of her foot.

"Okay!" Max was on his feet in an instant, not wanting to upset the dragoness. The two of them made their way through the crowd before nodding to Plax and Zephyr who were diligently guarding the entrance to make sure no one snuck in. The two of them eyed Max suspiciously but Cynder quickly put a stop to it.

"He's with me," She reported and again the two dragons stared at each other in surprise. A hushed whisper went around the crowd of dragons.

"Even Max is with them?"

"When did that happen?"

Before disappearing behind the veil, a smile spread across Max's muzzle.


	14. Chapter 14

Tang and Infernus ducked back under the curtain to the healer's pavilion. The guardians turned as a tall green dragon followed closely, a look of worry already clear on his face.

"Thank you for coming." Singe nodded respectfully to her older friend.

"Anytime." Leafwind nodded. "What seems to be the trouble?"

Singe looked down at Tremor and placed a gentle paw on his head. The earth dragon gave a subtle groan but nothing more. "We believe our friend here has blood in his lungs, but how we go about getting it out of him is beyond me."

"Let me have a look." Leafwind stepped onto the lilies and placed his head against Tremor's side to listen.

Off to the side, Candice watched the older dragon intently. He was at least three to four years older than her and the other guardians. He had a neat and smooth air to his appearance. His horns were long and elegant like Spyro's and he already had his adult horns growing around his shoulders and deltoids. Like Tremor, he was lean in overall body size but still resembled a male in prime condition. Candice felt her eyes lock on him as he continued to listen to Tremor's breathing. Stella interrupted her day dream with a jab in the side. Candice jolted and stared at her friend in surprise. Stella narrowed her eyes at Candice and gave a sly grin. The ice dragoness's cheeks flushed slightly and she had to turn away.

"I think I've found the cause of his bleeding," Leafwind spoke up after several minutes and turned towards the guardians. He nodded to Max as he and Cynder entered the room almost silently. "I sense fragments of rock inside his lungs and that's what's causing them to fill." His eyes fixed on Candice and the ice guardian's joints locked up and she held her breath. "Have you been around any mountains or caves where the rocks have been loose or broken easily?"

"I... um..." Candice stammered and tried to regain her composure and think at the same time.

"We have been hiding from cave to cave recently," Stella answered for her friend, giving her the time she needed. "But they were pretty secure from what we saw."

"Hm," The earth dragon nodded and scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Any landslides near where you were staying perhaps?"

"None that we noticed." Ember shook her head.

"My question is, how did rocks get into Tremor's lungs?" Flame's wings ruffled slightly. "I don't think he breathes rocks."

"Wait, that's it!" Candice exclaimed causing every head to turn. "The volcano! All that ash must be what's caught in his lungs."

"You've got to be kidding!" Ember groaned. "How in the world are we supposed to get ash out of his lungs?"

The dragons all fell silent and stared at the floor. The only noise was the harsh rasp of Tremor's breathing.

"Is there any hope for him?" Candice asked, stepping towards Leafwind. The earth dragon stared at her for a long moment with saying a word. Candice could tell by the look in his eyes that the situation was far worse than she had dreamed. "I won't give up on him," She added after a long silence. "I care for him too much to start giving up on him now."

Leafwind continued to stare at her for a long time before turning away from her. He set a paw on Tremor's back and closed his eyes. The guardians all waited anxiously for him to speak. At last he turned to face them. "I want you to understand that when the lungs are this badly damaged, there may be almost no possible way to heal him. I do have an idea, but it's extremely risky and it may end up killing him instead of helping him."

"Tremor would never give up on us." Candice retorted. "We're not going to let him die without a fight." She glanced back over her shoulder and her comrades nodded in agreement.

Leafwind and Singe shared a brief smile before getting serious once again.

"Alright then." Leafwind turned to Candice. "I will need you to help hold him because he's not going to find this treatment very pleasant."

"What do you plan to do?" Candice asked as she placed her paws down on Tremor's shoulders.

"Drown him," Leafwind replied after a moment.

"What?" The guardians all looked at one another in shock.

"I know it sounds bad." Leafwind raised a hand. "But if my guess is correct it may end up helping us save him."

Candice's eyed locked with the healer's and she felt her cheeks warm up. "Alright. I trust you." She glanced over at Stella and Infernus who seemed to be huddling together practically.

"Are you girls ready?" The green dragon asked, looking from Candice, to Singe and then Ember. They dragonesses all nodded silently. "Here goes." Leafwind sighed. He raised his paw and slashed the bed of lilies. Water burst through and the dragons fell into the pool below. It was only four feet deep but enough to engulf Tremor completely.

Almost instantly the earth guardian woke up with a startled jolt. Immediately he began to thrash about beneath Candice and the other dragons that held him down.

"Hold him!" Leafwind shouted over the splashing as one of Tremor's claws narrowly missed his face. Candice forced her full weight onto Tremor and pinned his shoulders to the bottom, nearly putting her own head completely under.

"Got him!" She sputtered as her mate tried to knock her off.

"Force his mouth open!" Leafwind ordered Singe who grabbed the guardian by the skin beneath his jaw and pulled hard. The earth dragon's maw was forced open and the water flowed down his throat and into his lungs. As he struggled for air, the water mixed with the blood in his lungs. Stella and Infernus both cringed at the sight of the blood mixing in with the water around Tremor's head. Cynder looked away and subconsciously buried her face into Max's side. The raptor snapped out of his trance and shielded her with a wing.

"Do it now," Singe ordered, when she had a full grip on the earth dragon's jaw. Leafwind closed his eyes and focused with everything he had. He could barely sense the volcanic residue in the earth dragon's lungs, but managed to zero in on the tiny elements. Slowly the tiny particles of rock began to dislodged from the soft tissue of Tremor's lungs causing more blood to seep in. "Now," Leafwind groaned as he struggled to stay focused. Ember and Singe helped force Tremor down and began to cover him in their warm, healing energy. Little by little the guardian's lungs began to heal. The particles of rock began to mass together in a single cluster inside Tremor's lungs. When he was certain he had done all the specks dislodged, Leafwind gave a strained groan. "I got it." His body tensed and the masses of rock began to float up through Tremor's throat while Leafwind used his earth element to manipulate the masses to squeeze through the earth guardian's wind pipe.

Just as the masses of rock were almost out they stopped, caught in the back of Tremor's throat. "Shit!" He cursed.

"What? What is it?" Singe gasped, having never seen him like this before.

"It's stuck in his throat!" Leafwind wheezed breaking his concentration. "I can't get it!"

"Get him out!" Candice ordered and lifted Tremor so his head was above the surface. He was already choking and his scales were beginning to turn a deep blue-green. Singe and Ember hoisted the gagging dragon up out of the water and Candice sprang out with a wild leap. Before they realized it, she brought all her weight down into one spot in Tremor's stomach. The impact forced the water out of his stomach and lungs and back up his throat. The mass of rock shot out and clicked against Tremor's teeth before smacking against the far wall. With a loud wheeze and heave of his chest, Tremor took in as much fresh air as his lungs could hold before coughing the last of the blood-stained water in his body. Ember and Singe rolled him onto his side so his head hung over the pool where he continued to wretch, noisily.

Leafwind walked over and picked up the mass of pumice off the floor and rolled it between his claws. The combined masses of volcanic rock in the earth guardian's lungs had accumulated to the size of a coin. Candice moved away from Tremor and stared down at the saliva-covered rock.

"You did well," Leafwind commented, giving the ice dragoness a relieved smile. "I have to admit I wouldn't have thought of doing what you just did."

"I just went out on a limb." Candice blushed slightly and shrugged away from him.

Leafwind laughed in amusement. "I'll admit it wasn't the most scientific, or orthodox way of doing it. But the results are just as well. A guardian should be able to act on a whim from time to time."

Candice continued to blush and glanced back over at Tremor. "He may be an idiot, and stubborn most of the time. But he's got a good heart. And I love him for it." She looked back at Leafwind and rubbed her shoulder against his. "Thank you."

"It's my duty." Leafwind nodded modestly. "Make sure he gets some rest. He's going to need it for the next couple days."

"I will." Candice nodded as she watched him walk back to Singe. The two healers whispered to each other in the corner before Leafwind excused himself, leaving the rest to Singe and Ember. When he was gone, Stella and Infernus walked over to Candice who was sitting silently in the corner.

"Feeling better?" Stella teased taking a seat beside her fellow guardian.

Candice sighed and looked down at Tremor. "Yeah. Much better."

Stella snickered playfully and gave Candice an elbow with her barbs. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were making eyes at Leafwind there."

"I was not!" Candice nearly choked and reared back in an almost insulted manner.

"You were too." Stella laughed. "You were staring at him like he was a piece of meat you wanted to go after."

"No I didn't!" Candice fumed but Stella and Infernus continued to laugh together. The ice dragoness gave a huff and walked out of the pavilion.

"Is she mad at us?" Infernus asked innocently.

"Not really. We're nothing compared to what Tremor puts her through."

"That's scary." Infernus gave a slight shudder.

"Yeah it is. But they get along just fine together. I think they were made for one another."


	15. Chapter 15

"So what are we doing here?" Spyro asked as he and Exile ascended the first stairwell and into a large open room. The wolf took a seat in the middle of the chamber and sat down, crossing his legs.

"Come," he stated and patted the floor beside him. Spyro acknowledged his tutor and did as he was told. He sat down and watched the wolf fold his hands in his lap and close his eyes, keeping his back in perfect posture to allow for perfect air circulation. Spyro watched as the old wolf sat silently with his noise in the air and a confident relaxed aura seemed to emanate from his fur. The glow seemed to pulse in time with the wolf's slow, methodical breathing.

After Spyro had been watching him for a while he began to grow restless. He started to look around the chamber they were in. All around were mosaic artworks on the walls. Each consisted of the same dragon in different poses for each one. Spyro noticed that it was a black dragon with one blue eye and one red. In each mosaic, the dragon's mouth was wide in a roar with wisps of white tiles blowing from his mouth. Each of the designs for the white tiles was different; some were sharp and jagged, while others were soft and flowing along with several combinations in between.

"Are you breathing?" Exile asked, his voice echoing inside the vast chamber. The suddenness of his voice caused Spyro to jump.

"Y-yeah. I'm still breathing," Spyro stammered nervously as he stared sideways at the canine.

"Good." Exile nodded, his eyes still closed as he delved deeper into his meditation. "Continue to breathe."

Spyro narrowed his eyes at the wolf as he pondered what he had said. After a moment he sat upright and aligned his spine as straight as possible. He stared at the mosaic directly in front of him across the chamber and sighed. The sound of his sigh echoed throughout the chamber.

"Shhh!" Exile hissed.

"What?" Spyro asked looking around in alarm, half expecting an enemy to jump out and attack them.

"You're making too much noise," The wolf replied casually.

"I'm not Sparx," Spyro pointed out, not realizing that the wolf didn't fully grasp who he was talking about. "I was just breathing like you told me to."

"You're breathing too loud," Exile replied. "Calm your breathing and then your mind."

"How do I calm my breathing? I'm calm right now," Spyro retorted. He was already starting to feel his temper rise.

"Listen to yourself," Exile explained. "You are being noisy and thus your breathing is not calm."

"That doesn't make any sense!" Spyro snapped. "I was completely calm until you started talking to me!"

"Listen to your voice, purple dragon." Exile cracked one eye and fixed Spyro with it. "I'm speaking to you and now. My breathing is calm. Do you hear any echo?"

Spyro's eyes widened as he realized what the wolf was saying. The old wolf's voice had not even so much as reverberated off the walls.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Spyro asked, trying to keep his voice down but still caused an echo throughout the chamber.

"Learn to breathe correctly." Exile stated plainly. "A calm mind moves swifter than a clenched fist."

Spyro stared at Exile for a long hard moment. There was something about his statement that reminded him of Ignitus. It was then that Spyro understood what the wolf was saying. The purple dragon took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. As if in response, a soft wind blew through the chamber and rustled Exile's fur. The old wolf smiled privately and continued to meditate.

"How are you feeling?" Candice asked Tremor as she nuzzled his cheek lovingly.

The earth dragon only smiled with a slight bob of his head. His throat hurt too much from the rash coughing and expelling of volcanic residue in his lungs. The coloration of his scales was returning to its usual bright green and his eyes looked livelier than they had been in the past several weeks.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Candice continued. "Food, water, a kiss even?" Both Tremor and Stella gave an amused chuckle at the ice dragoness's attempt at making him feel better. Tremor gave in to her desire to help him and mouthed "water" to her. Candice nodded, content with his answer. She walked over to the water basin and looked down; it was empty. She looked back towards Tremor whose eyes were beginning to droop again. Stella noticed her friend's expression and rose off her large, goose-down pillow.

"I'll go get us some more," She volunteered. Before Candice could say anything she ducked under the entrance curtain and into the bright sunlight. Tremor and Candice stared after her as they listened to her footsteps fade away before smiling to one another.

Stella trotted along the walkways to the gardens. The warm stones felt soothing to her feet and she gained a slight spring in her steps. She had to admit that Certrona was a paradise compared to what the guardians had been through earlier. The residents had been nothing less than friendly and, in Infernus's case, charming. Stella smiled to herself as she thought about all the flowers he had been constantly bringing her; if he continued she would run out of space to keep them in her temporary home. Surprisingly she hadn't seen the young dragon all day. As she pondered about the red fire breather she passed by Flame and Ember who were lying in a bed of flowers together.

Flame lay on his side with his head resting against her warm, soft belly scales. Ember was curled around her mate's head in a loving embrace. She stroked his head and crest with a delicate paw, causing the fire guardian to growl in deep satisfaction. They nodded respectfully as Stella passed by. As they watched the lightning dragoness disappear deeper into the gardens Flame looked up at Ember.

"She seems much happier here," He mused.

Ember chuckled and nodded in agreement. "I think it's because she has a new love interest. Ever since Liun betrayed us, she's been devastated." The pink dragoness knew Stella was exceptionally good at hiding her emotions; but the girls knew each other enough to read into the other's movements and language.

"Liun couldn't have betrayed us," Flame corrected her with a tone of resentment in his voice. "He was never on our side to begin with."

"Hm," Ember nodded. "I think it's just horrible what he did to Stella. That he used her like that. Like a puppet. A toy."

"At least she's still alive. She should be able to love again."

"I hope so." Ember sighed. She knew that her friend still carried the pain around of her encounter with Liun and the Dark Master and the truth about what had been going on. "Of all of us, she deserves a guy that will make her happy the most."

Flame nodded in agreement. "When this is all over," he replied. "But for now we should focus on the task at hand."

"Yeah," Ember gazed up at the magnificent tower just behind the elder's temple. She found herself wondering how Spyro was doing with Exile. She trusted the old wolf but her past experiences had left a little nagging voice of suspicion in the back of her mind.

Ember wasn't the only one with her mind on Spyro. Off in another part of the gardens, Cynder sat alone in a bed of flowers. The black dragoness sighed as she lay her head down amongst the violet flora. Their color reminded her of her mate; and it hadn't been so very long ago that his scales had displayed such a rich, vibrant coloration. However, it now seemed like years.

The sound of footsteps caught her attention and she raised her head to see Max striding towards her. She smiled warmly at him as he stopped a few yards away from her.

"I'm not intruding am I?" The raptor asked.

"No, not at all." Cynder shook her head. She moved to the side slightly, opening a small space for Max to sit next to her. The black dragon took the invitation and nestled down next to her. Already his temperature was warmer than usual from being around her, but he did his best to hide it.

"Thinking about Spyro again huh?" Max started.

Cynder gave an amused chuckle. "Is it that obvious?"

"No," Max smiled. "Just a lucky guess." This caused Cynder to giggle more openly.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything." The raptor nodded.

"You've been here for a long time. But I don't know this place as well as you do. Could you explain what that tower is that Spyro and Exile are in?" Both black dragons turned to stare up at the tower beyond the living pavilions.

"Well I can't tell you much about what's going on inside there," Max started. "As long as I've been here, no one has ever gone inside from what any of us have seen. Spyro is the first." Cynder broke her stare to look at him in an almost skeptical manner. "The elders keep the knowledge of this tower very secret. From what I've heard from some of the older dragons, it's also known as the Tower of Enlightenment. It's been here since Certrona was fist built. Only the most dedicated dragons who exhibit the highest code of honor and virtue are allowed entrance."

"Wow," Cynder whispered to herself and stared back at the great stone structure.

"The elders say that whomever is to enter will be granted with knowledge and wisdom of the ancestors and be able to reach a new pinnacle of power."

Cynder's expression twisted slightly. "Don't the elders worry about what may happen if someone tries to use that power for evil?"

Max fell silent for a long time. "I suppose I never thought of that." He muttered darkly. "But you do have a valid question." He looked down into Cynder's eyes and gave his head a slight thrust towards the temple. "Would you like to go ask?"

Cynder grinned at him. "Is this your way of asking me out for a walk?"

Max felt the blood rush to his face and his spines stood on end. "Well, no... I was just asking if you wanted to find out... I didn't mean..."

His speech was interrupted by Cynder's gleeful laughing. The black dragoness rolled on her back and held her sides laughing out loud.

"I'm only kidding." Cynder breathed as she started to settle down. "I guess I needed a good laugh, that's all."

The black raptor continued to blush but cracked a smirk at her. "I'm glad I could help." He rose to his feet and turned back towards the city. "Shall we?"

Cynder giggled as she got up. "I guess we shall."


	16. Chapter 16

The wind seemed to hum inside the tower chamber. Spyro's breathing had slowed to a near crawling pace. His heart rate was normal and his mind was fully relaxed. He took in a deep breath of cool air and held it for several seconds before releasing it little by little. His eyes were closed but he felt as if he could see the air in the room, moving around in gentle currents; it seemed almost like a blue mist to him. Each time he filled his lungs, the mist would fill his entire body, healing his wounds and restoring his energy. When he exhaled, he could visualize his ailments being expelled from his body.

Spyro had no idea how long he had been meditating but that little fact seemed so insignificant now. He felt more calm and relaxed now than he had ever been in his entire life. Even after he had first defeated Malefor he felt even more at peace now than when he first woke up after the great battle.

Next to him he sensed Exile move. He had almost forgotten about the old wolf since they had started the breathing exercise. Now his tutor was rising from his meditation. Spyro felt a warm hand on his shoulder and a soft voice in his ear.

"It is time," Exile spoke. "You may open your eyes."

"But my eyes are open," Spyro mumbled, not even so much as twitching a scale. A smile spread across Exile's mouth.

"You've made a great deal more progress than I expected. But your eyes need to be physically open for you to progress to the next part of your training."

"Huh?" Spyro felt a sudden pressure on his eyes as Exile forced them open. The mist seemed to vanish from view and he stared the wolf elder in the face. "Wow," Spyro shook his head as he got to his feet. "Was I asleep?" He felt like he had been sleeping yet he did not feel the fatigue he usually felt after just waking up; instead he felt more energized.

"No. But you've learned to breathe properly. So now we may move on to the next level."

"What? How can you be sure?"

"Listen to your voice," Exile replied with a notable grin.

"My voice? But what about my..." Spyro looked around in surprise. "There's no echo." He looked back at the wolf whose smile was even more apparent.

"You have made quick progress my friend. Cynder was right about you."

"Cynder?" Spyro's thoughts drifted to his mate. He missed her deeply and wished to see her.

"You will in due time." Exile spoke up as if reading the purple dragon's thoughts. "She was the same way when I trained her after being captured by my tribe."

"Cynder went through this?" Spyro looked up as the elder stood upright.

"Indeed," Exile nodded. "She was very quick to learn because of her determination to help protect you."

Spyro hung his head. "She did all that for me. When I thought she had deliberately gone off to join the Dark Master, she was trying to find a way to help me." He shook his head in disgust. "I should have trusted her more then."

"Do you trust her now?" Exile asked, crossing his arms.

Spyro looked up at him and puffed his chest out. "I trust her with my life. I trust her more than ever."

"Then do not dwell on the past or what has happened before." Exile placed a comforting hand on top of Spyro's head; the wolf's energy was soothing to the purple dragon. "Look to the future, but focus on the present. That way we may all have a brighter tomorrow."

The wolf's words struck a proud note in Spyro's heart. He smiled and wished Ignitus had been around to hear such words all those years ago.

"Come." Exile gestured as he walked across the room towards the stairwell. "On to the next level."

"But doesn't that staircase stop here?" Spyro asked, looking around for another door to find only the one they had entered through.

"Only if you let it." Exile answered as he disappeared into the shadows. Spyro hurried after him and looked to see the stairs reached even higher than expected.

"How did..."

"Wisdom is limited to a being's mind," Exile explained. "If you think you know all then you will never know more."

"I see." Spyro nodded understandingly as they ascended to the next chamber. The purple dragon noticed that the stairs seemed to end here as they had on the first level but paid it little mind. This chamber was similar to the previous one. However, the mosaics no longer displayed a black dragon, but a white one. The slender body made Spyro believe it was a female. In each mosaic she sat in the same calm position with her eyes closed and the different white tile designs swirling around her.

Exile walked to the middle of the room and sat down again in his meditative position.

"We're breathing some more?"

"In a sense, yes," The wolf replied. "You've demonstrated that you have the ability to calm your mind and see the world around you. Now we are going to boost that perception."

"How?"

"Close your eyes."

"I thought I needed my eyes open to continue to the next level though."

"Of course. You can't climb stairs with your eyes closed. You'd trip and hurt yourself." Exile chuckled at his own joke and even Spyro found himself amused by the elder's antic. Never the less he sat down next to his tutor and closed his eyes and began to breathe again.

After about a minute he felt his senses relax. His body started to tingle and his blood temperature increased slightly. The tower was chilly but the positive energy warmed him to the core. Spyro's mind drifted back to the state it had been in just minutes before. The currents of blue mist were visible to him in his mind's eye. He inhaled and drew in the soothing vapor, allowing it to cleanse him from the inside out.

"Now expand your mind," Exile whispered, his voice seeming to linger in Spyro's thoughts. "See the energy of the world around you. Push beyond the stone walls. Barriers hinder our vision. But our minds can surpass such trivial things if we allow them."

Spyro continued to breathe, slowing his breathing even more. His body began to glow a warm, golden aura. The walls of the tower seemed to turn transparent after several minutes as Spyro's state of meditation deepened. He felt like he was flying and melted into the stone wall of the tower, only to emerge outside a moment later. The sun was bright and warmed the city of Certrona beneath him.

The purple dragon smiled as he took in the city sights. The dragon city was nearly as old as Warfang and just as beautiful. Spyro's mind floated around the tower as if getting the feel for moving freely again. As he made his third pass he spotted two figures down below heading towards the temple; Cynder and Max. Spyro had not had the time to get fully acquainted with the odd-looking dragon but he could tell from the first moments he saw him that he would be a good friend. But seeing his mate was what made the purple dragon's heart flutter. He watched as they entered the large doors to the temple.

Spyro's presence seemed to hang around Cynder and the dragoness paused.

"Everything alright?" Max asked, looking back over his shoulder. Cynder looked around with a puzzled expression on her face but turned back after a brief moment.

"I'm fine," she nodded. Max watched her as she strolled past him, a slight smile on her face. Cynder glanced to the side out of the corner of her eye to see a ghostly figure of Spyro walking beside her. He glanced back at her and they shared a brief smile before he faded away from view.

Cynder and Max soon came to the main chamber of the temple where the elders had been a couple days before.

"Hello?" Cynder called. The chamber was empty.

"I think we may have missed them," Max pointed out.

"It seems like it." Cynder sighed and Max noticed that only his voice was echoing inside the vast hall.

"Is there anything I can do for you young dragons?" Both black dragons jumped to see Magnitus and Tyrannica enter from the left meeting hall.

"Oh, I um..." Cynder stammered, suddenly broken of her composure.

"We have a question we wish to ask," Max spoke up, saving the dragoness from further embarrassment. "That is if you have the time to spare." He added more modestly.

"Of course." Magnitus nodded, almost excitedly. "We're never too busy to listen to our young ones. What is it you wish to ask?"

Max looked down at Cynder who stepped forward. "Well, we were talking about what Spyro may be doing and Max here told me that those who enter the tower are given power and wisdom."

"He speaks truthfully." Tyrannica nodded, giving the raptor dragon a pleased nod.

"But something bugs me still," Cynder continued. "I know I don't have to worry about it with Spyro, but having worked for the forces of evil before I have to ask."

"What would happen if an evil presence were to enter the tower?" Magnitus finished; Cynder nodded. The lightning elder smiled and walked towards the main entrance past Cynder and Max. Tyrannica followed as well as the two youngsters. Once outside, Magnitus walked a little ways until he could look up towards the top of the spire. "Back when his tower was first built, my ancestors were accompanied by an oracle in their society. The oracles were dragons of no known element but possessed the ability to use the magic of the world around them to their benefit. My great ancestor persuaded the oracle of his time to cast a spell onto this structure, blessing it and protecting it from the dark forces of the world."

"How do you know the spell works?" Cynder asked curiously.

"We don't," Magnitus replied causing the black dragons to stare at one another with wide eyes. "We put our faith in our ancestors as we put faith in you young ones as our descendants."

"I see." Cynder scratched her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense, though I'd hate to think of what may happen if an evil force truly did make it inside."

"We rely on the spirits of our ancestors to keep such a sacred place protected." Tyrannica spoke up. "If they were truly unworthy of such a power then the divine beings of our world would deal away with them."

"Now, I have a question," Max piped up. "How long does it take for a dragon to reach the new level of power and wisdom?"

"It all depends on the dragon and how strong of a heart, soul and mind they are," Magnitus replied. "It may be days or even weeks before they come out."

"Weeks?" Both black dragons exclaimed in unison.

"That's..." Cynder's voice trailed off. "A really long time. I hope Spyro will be alright with Exile."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Max assured her and draped a comforting wing around her. "I mean, he's a purple dragon. That has to count for something doesn't it?"

"Indeed." Magnitus nodded in agreement. "Is there anything else you youngsters would like to know?"

"Well..." Cynder paused to think.

As the dragons went about their conversation, Spyro slipped away, but not after making sure some of his essence stayed with Cynder to let her know he was still around.

"Now that you have that out of the way," Exile's voice seemed to speak in his mind. "Let us continue." Spyro felt his heart skip a couple beats. He took in another deep breath and continued to deepen his concentration. He suddenly seemed to take off through the city of Certrona. He felt his essence spread out across the fog-covered mountain wastes and beyond. A rush of excitement seemed to envelope the purple dragon as he soared over the plains and forests. Spyro's soul was shouting with joy and excitement at the rush that filled him with life and energy.

However, the excitement soon faded as Spyro soared over the dragon city of Warfang. Down below, he could see plumes of smoke from the fires that still burned throughout the city. The bodies of wolves, moles and manweersmalls littered the courtyards and halls. Spyro would have thrown up from the sight of it all if he could have. Instead he focused in for a closer look on the city. He zeroed in on the temple and, much to his surprise, found it intact.

As he came to rest over the outer platform at the top of the stairwell, he felt a dark presence within the temple. He could see a familiar, evil, purple glow deep inside. Just as he was about to enter, a wave of dark energy burst from the shadows and sent him flying back. Spyro cried out in shock as he was flung back across the landscape, over the forests, plains, ocean and mountains. Just as he went shooting back up he saw some familiar figures marching obediently through the mountain tops.

A split second later Spyro was snapped back into his physical state and flung against the wall. Exile's eye opened and he hurried over to the purple dragon who was picking himself up off the floor.

"Are you alright, Spyro?" He asked with a tone of worry in his aged voice.

"Y-yeah." Spyro nodded dumbly, still in a state of shock. "I'll be alright."

"What did you see that could have forced you out of such a state? It must have been a power that rivals yours."

"I don't know." Spyro hung his head and shook the spots from his vision. "I didn't see anything, that's the problem." He looked up to Exile. "But what I did see was wolves. A whole army of them! They're headed this way."

"An army you say?" Exile rubbed his left ear as he pondered over the purple dragon's report. "It must be the southern wolf tribe. They must be tracking you or your friends here."

"Then we have to warn them!" Spyro cried and turned towards the stairs.

"Spyro!" Exile barked causing the purple dragon to stop dead in his tracks. He turned and looked at his tutor with a troubled expression. "Your friends are putting their faith in you to learn what you need to here." The old wolf pointed out. "Now you owe it to them to learn it so you may continue to protect our world. Do you understand that?"

Spyro sighed and nodded after a moment's pause. "I guess so," He murmured. Exile walked over and knelt down before placing a paw on Spyro's shoulder.

"Have faith my friend. Have faith that they will be able to handle any situation until you arrive."

"Alright." Spyro sighed. "Let's move on to the next level."


	17. Chapter 17

"The world is full of magical energy," Exile explained. "Whether you have breath attacks or not, any creature can tap into the magical energy if they try hard enough."

Spyro and Exile had moved up two more levels over the past couple days. In that time Spyro had learned to manage his astral projection and tap into the energies of his environment. Now, the old wolf was busy explaining to him about how to use that energy to his advantage.

"How do I do that though?" Spyro puzzled over how to go about starting off. "If I wanted to use a certain element wouldn't I need to be in the right environment?"

"A true warrior is always resourceful and always open minded." Exile twirled a finger in a circle. Being able to use each element requires patience to learn its specific requirements."

"Okay." Spyro's brow furrowed as he tried to grasp what the wolf was saying.

"What was the first element you learned to use?"

"Fire."

"Then we shall start with that." Exile stepped back and motioned for Spyro to go into a meditative stance. Spyro did so and closed his eyes. "Like you've been doing, find the energy around you and concentrate on it."

Spyro felt his body relax and the blue mist rise into the room again. As his training had progressed, the mist had gotten thicker and stronger. As he zeroed in on the mist he began to see colors. It wasn't immediate but there was a flash of red, a spark of yellow and even a hint of green zipping in and out of the stream of magic.

"Do you see it?" Exile asked patiently as he watched the purple dragon's expression.

"I see it." Spyro barely moved his head in a nod.

"Good. Now take the energy and hold it."

Spyro paused for a moment; then slowly he lifted his paw and extended it towards the stream. He focused on the red flashes and after a couple of failed attempts he managed to pinpoint the element. Exile's brows rose when he saw embers and smoke begin to mass together in front of Spyro's paw.

"You're doing well, Spyro," He coached gently, not wanting to break the dragon's concentration as it was a delicate procedure he was going through. The embers continued to grow into a ball of fire and were still continuing to increase in size. "Now, stop," Exile ordered, content that Spyro had gotten his first look into acquiring magic. "Slowly open your eyes."

Spyro's lids lifted and his mouth fell open. The warmth of the fireball spread across his face and he smiled. "Wow," He whispered.

No sooner had he spoken than the fireball shot away from him across the room. A barrier of magic reflected it back at him and it struck him in the chest and exploded on impact. Spyro cried out as he was blown back into the far wall. The barrier of magic made him rebound off the stone and go bouncing across the marble floor.

"Spyro, are you alright?" Exile hurried to the dragon's side. For a moment Spyro didn't answer but soon began to cough. He looked up at the wolf and, to Exile's surprise, smiled.

"I've got it," He wheezed. "Let's keep going."

Max tapped his long talons on the doorway to the guardian's pavilion.

"Hello?" He called. "Is anyone home?"

"Yeah, come in," Candice called.

Max ducked in under the curtain and gave the room a quick sweep. Tremor lay on his bed beside Candice and Flame and Ember sat in the corner together as always. All around the room were books and potted plants that didn't require much sunlight if any at all. All of the items were set in a neat and organized fashion and Max shook his head. He was always amazed at how clean the guardians kept the place.

"Wow, do you guy ever make a mess of things?" He asked with an amused chuckle.

The other dragons all had a good laugh. "It's not that we aren't messy to begin with," Flame replied. "We're guests here and it's our duty to keep things neat and clean no matter where we are."

"Tell that to the wolves." Tremor muttered.

Max tilted his head curiously, unsure of what the earth guardian was getting at. "Well, I was going to ask Tremor," the black dragon continued. "Do you want to have a rematch in the sparring court? I mean, if you're up to it. If not I'll understand." The raptor bowed his head slightly apologetically, remembering the earth dragon's ordeal the last time.

"No thanks, not today." Tremor sighed as he lay his head back down on top of his paws. "Although, if you're looking for a sparring match, you might try asking Cynder." The earth dragon raised a brow and Max faintly detected the green dragon's almost suspicious tone. "She might be able to teach you a few things that I can't."

"Well," Max paused, his heart beginning to race. "I don't know. I mean, spar with Cynder?"

"Tell you what," Flame piped up and rose off his bed. "I'll spar with you. I'm curious to see how I'd fare against you."

Max stared at the red guardian and a smile spread across his long, narrow muzzle. "Alright!" He chirped excitedly. "Let's go!"

"Wait for me!" Ember called and dashed after them as both males ducked beneath the curtain.

When they were gone Candice turned to look down at Tremor. "So what's wrong with you?" She asked worriedly. "You haven't moved from that spot for days now Tremor."

"It's nothing," the earth dragon sighed.

"My scaly butt it's nothing!" Candice snapped. She grabbed Tremor and rolled him onto his back and pinned him. "Something is on your mind Tremor. I know something is."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tremor lied, trying to avoid the inevitable conversation.

"Tremor!" Candice shook him and dug her talons into his scales slightly; enough to get his attention but not so deep as to draw blood. "Tell me what's bothering you! It's not like you to ditch your friends to just lay around and do nothing! Something is wrong, and I know it!" Tremor turned to look up at her graceful figure leaned over him and those fierce eyes he had grown so fond of beginning to lose their composure. "You know you can tell me anything."

Still Tremor hesitated and Candice began to grow extremely restless and uneasy. Her mate's sudden attitude was making her begin to regret asking him.

At last Tremor sighed. "Candice... I care about you... and..."

"Stop beating around the bush Tremor!" The ice dragoness hissed angrily. "Stop wasting time by sugar coating it and get to the point!"

"Alright." Tremor sighed again and took another deep breath. "I've been considering resigning from the guardians."

"It's beautiful up here!" Stella gasped as she looked around. Infernus had taken her to the upper levels of the city where some of the more secluded gardens were. This was where most of the other dragons went to relax if they desired more peace and quiet rather than the noisier lower sections of the city.

"It's even more beautiful with you here," Infernus pointed out with a youthful, embarrassed squeak in his voice.

Stella smiled and gazed at him flirtatiously. "You're such a sweetheart. How did you get that way?"

"I blame it on my eating habits. Too many sweets." Infernus chuckled, trying to look smooth.

"Oh really?" Stella narrowed her eyes at him even more. "I may have to see for myself some time."

Infernus swallowed nervously. Stella noticed the look on his face and giggled playfully. "Relax Infernus, don't be so tense."

"Okay!" The red dragon nodded but only succeeded in tightening his muscles even more. Stella laughed and rolled her eyes. She was about to say something when a loud roar reached their ears. Both dragons looked down over the edge of the patch of lawn they were standing on and stared down towards the bottom of the city.

"What's going on down there?" Infernus asked as he scanned the area.

"There!" Stella pointed to the courtyard where Flame and Max were already in a tight aerial battle, snarling and slashing at one another.

"Looks like Max wasn't able to get Tremor in for a rematch," Infernus pointed out.

Stella looked at him with a raised brow. "Max wanted a rematch with Tremor? How do you know?"

"He's my friend. Of course I knew, because he told me."

"I see." Stella nodded another grin tugging at her cheek. "And did he know about me when you were running around leaving flowers for me everywhere I went?"

"Well, I...um... you see."

"I thought so." Stella snickered. "That's okay. It's still sweet of you." Then without even realizing it she leaned in and gave the young dragon a loving lick on the cheek. Infernus's heart skipped a couple beats and the air temperature grew warmer. Stella noticed and smiled longingly at the red dragon and laid her head down to rest on his shoulder. Once again, Infernus's heart began to beat faster. Stella could hear the thumping and cooed softly as she closed her eyes. The sound of his beating heart relaxed her and put her mind at ease. It was a feeling that she had missed deeply.

Infernus was as jittery as ever with the dragoness's head resting against his shoulder. He swallowed hard and tilted his head to rest on top of hers. Stella sighed contently and nuzzled him slightly. For a long time, Infernus tried to distract himself by watching the sparring match going on below between his best friend and the fire guardian. They appeared to be evenly matched though Infernus was certain that both combatants were holding back.

Over an hour passed before Max and Flame called it quits. They both laughed with one another as they landed and were greeted with great enthusiasm by the onlookers. Infernus spotted the pink dragoness Ember rub up against Flame's chest before giving him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled as he started to think about what it would be like if that were him and Stella down there. After a moment he glanced down at Stella and stared at her for a long time.

Sensing his movement, Stella cracked one eye. "Something wrong?" She asked.

"Nope." Infernus sighed as he took in the sight of the gorgeous dragoness. The rays of sun made her even more stunning up close. After a long pause, Infernus spoke again. "Stella, do you like me at all?"

The lightning guardian lifted her head off his shoulder and stared him in the eye. "Of course I like you. Why would you ask?"

"No reason." Infernus averted his gaze and looked down at the procession of dragons following after Flame and Max. He looked at the way Flame had his wing draped about his mate's shoulders, holding her close. Stella followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. When she turned back to Infernus she saw that he had his wing extended. She grinned and scooted closer to him allowing him to cover her shoulders. The warmth of the sun seemed to intensify across Stella's back as the heat from the fire breather's wing membrane soothed her.

Infernus's heart leaped for joy when the guardian sidled up next to him, brushing her side against his. Her touch sent a tingle of excitement through him and his scales rattled in response. He had never met a girl like Stella before but all he knew was that he liked her a lot. Feeling somewhat braver he turned and rubbed his snout against her forehead. Stella moaned contently and then she felt a soft peck against her facial scales. Her eyes opened, surprised that the young dragon had been bold enough to make such a move. Stella cooed softly and rubbed her forehead against Infernus's snout.

"Stella," Infernus whispered gently.

"Hm?" Stella could hear the red dragon's heart beats speed up and she smiled to herself.

"Could..." Infernus swallowed hard again, his cheeks burning like a hot rock. "Could I.... maybe... if you're okay with it... um..." The lightning dragoness waited patiently for him to finish but continued to smile to herself.

"He's so cute," She thought privately. "He's adorable."

"May I kiss you?"

Stella closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against Infernus's chest scales. "I wouldn't mind at all," She whispered. As she tilted her head up, she felt his lips graze across her face, down her forehead, and across her snout.

Infernus's heart rate spiked. His muscles began to twitch excitedly and his tail spade wiggled in the soft grass, bumping against Stella's tail in the process.

Stella raised her head to press her lips to Infernus's. Even her cheeks were flushed in this tender moment. "This feels heavenly. Being here with Infernus," She thought to herself. "I feel safe. Much safer than I was..."

Suddenly a flash entered her mind. Stella gasped as a mental image of Liun and Malefor flashed before her. The dragoness gave a startled cry and a bolt of lightning erupted from her body, striking Infernus in the shoulder, propelling him off the garden balcony down to another several feet below. Stella's eyes snapped wide open when she heard the red dragon's agonized cry far below. In an instant she was on her feet and looking down at him as he lay twitching in the bed of flowers he had landed in.

"Oh my gosh!" Stella squeaked, horrified at what she had done. She dove after him and glided down to his side. "Infernus?" She placed a paw on his shoulder. Electricity was coursing through his body, threatening to rip him apart from the inside out. "Oh no," Stella placed her paws against his side and closed her eyes as she absorbed the charge from his body.

Infernus gasped and his eyes widened from the sudden shock. He felt like he had been holding his breath and his heart felt like it were about to explode.

"W-what happened?" He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his head.

Stella hung her head as tears began to flow from her eyes. "I'm sorry Infernus," She sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

"Stella? What are you talking about?" The red dragon placed a paw on her shoulder and a wing around her, not sure if this was the right way to comfort her or not.

"I can't do this!" Stella wailed. "I just can't!" She turned away from him and dove off the edge of the balcony and flew away towards the city below.

"Stella..." Infernus choked as he watched her disappear from sight. "I don't understand." He shook his head and looked down at the smashed flowers beneath him as his heart became one of them. "I love you." He sniffled, as the tears began to flow down his muzzle and plop onto his paws.


	18. Chapter 18

Candice stared down at Tremor, a look of astonishment spread across her features.

"Y-you can't be serious," She stammered after recovering from the initial shock of his words. Tremor didn't respond. "Tremor, you can't be serious! You're a guardian! You can't just quit like that!"

"I'm a guardian candidate! I'm in training!" Tremor snapped. "And that means I still have the choice of dropping out if I so choose."

"You can't!" Candice shouted. "We need you Tremor! More than ever before!" Tears were starting to swell around the rims of the ice dragoness's eyes. Candice shook her head as she buried her face in Tremor's chest. "I know I've said some terrible things to you before in the past about you being an incompetent guardian but I really didn't mean it! And if that's why you're leaving, I'm sorry!"

"It has nothing to do with you." Tremor stroked the dragoness's neck but Candice pulled away.

"Then why? Why are you leaving us? Why are you leaving me?"

"I'm not leaving you," Tremor protested. "I care for you too much to let you go like that."

"Well I'm lost!"

Tremor sighed. "I've just been thinking. The last several times we've run into the Dark Master I've nearly died each time."

"We all have had to face death a lot lately Tremor!" Candice hissed.

"Let me finish." Tremor held up a paw, silencing her. Candice stepped off of Tremor and let him get to his feet. "I was content with doing my duty but when we found this place my mind started to change." He gazed at Candice as she tried to figure out what was running through his head. "This city has been untouched by evil for ages. Not even Cynder knew about it when she was ruling under the Dark Master's control. If it was safe then, it could be safe now. Maybe forever. We could live a happy life together her. Raise a family and..."

"Stop!" Candice snarled. "I can't believe what I'm hearing come out of your mouth. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were possessed by the Dark Master himself!" Tremor felt his heart stop as Candice narrowed her eyes at him with killing intent behind them. "You're saying that you'd turn your back on the world because of some close altercations with evil? We're guardians! We're supposed to protect this world and the ones who want to live in peace! Not fight, grow tired and run away because the job gets too hard!"

Tremor hung his head shamefully. "Well I'm sorry. I was hoping you would come with me and we could be happy together." He glanced up at her again with a pleading gaze. "I love you and I don't want to lose you to constant battles and wars."

"Shut up Tremor!" Candice hissed, ice jetting from her nostrils and sending tiny shards into the floor. "You're not the dragon I fell in love with! You're nothing like him! You're just a sniveling coward and a weakling! I can't stand to think what Gaia might be thinking about you right now! I know I'd be utterly disgusted in you to no end!"

"Hey! You can't..."

"Shut it Tremor!" Candice took a bold step forward, her icy energy billowing around her like a blizzard waiting to strike. "I won't listen to another word you say to me! Ever!"

"Candice."

"Get out!" The ice guardian fumed and spread her wings sending a gust of frozen wind blowing through the room and covering everything in ice. "Or so help me I'll kill you and go find a new earth guardian!"

Her sudden display struck fear into Tremor's heart and he ran from the pavilion as fast as he could. Candice was so furious a wave of energy rippled through her body as she unleashed her fury. A blast of ice erupted from her body and out the door, tearing the curtain to shreds and peppering Tremor's backside with ice spikes.

After she had settled down, Candice suddenly felt drained. She bolted from the pavilion, bawling hysterically, nearly blinded by her tears. After what seemed like hours of running she came to the outer gardens and fell, sobbing, into the patches of flowers. The wind seemed to howl with her cries of torment as the pedals were carried away with her feelings of love towards the former earth guardian.

"Good match." Max panted as he and Flame walked about the city. "You're a lot tougher than you look."

Flame gave the raptor dragon a playful smirk. "You're not too shabby yourself."

"I haven't had that much fun in a sparring match in ages." Max tilted his long neck, cracking his vertebrae.

"Yeah, we'll have to do it again sometime." Flame nodded. "After this whole thing with the Dark Master is finished."

Max only bobbed his head slightly. The mention of the Dark Master seemed to cause an uneasy feeling to rest in his stomach. He thought about what Cynder had mentioned to him before about being under the evil dragon's control and how so many refugees had arrived here because of her.

"It could have been me," He whispered as he pondered over the memory of those who had fought to protect him from the Dark Master's forces as a young hatchling. "So many died to keep me safe when I was born." He shook his head in disgust. "I can't let their sacrifices be in vain."

"Max, are you alright?" Ember asked, leaning in to stare into the dragon's green eyes.

"I'm going with you when it comes time for you to leave." Max raised up to his full height and his tail blade lashed at the wind with strong determination.

"But this is your home." Flame shook his head. "You can't just leave it to fight a battle that isn't yours to get involved in."

"It's my fight just as much as it is yours." Max narrowed his eyes and his pupils turned to feral slits. "This is our world to share. And it's up to us to protect it. Guardian or not."

Flame's eyes burned with red energy and Ember felt a ping of fear in her heart. "We'll see what Magnitus and the other elders say later on." Flame finally spoke, putting an end to their discussion.

Max was about to start again when they spotted Infernus trudging down the street with his head hung low and his wings dragging sadly on the ground.

"Oh no," Ember murmured when she saw the dejected look on the young dragon's face.

"Infernus," Max called and ran up to the red dragon with Flame and Ember close behind. "Hey, why the long face? Did something happen with Stella?"

"I..." Infernus looked up at his friend. His eyes were puffy and swollen. "I don't know..." He muttered in an almost inaudible tone. "I just don't know what I did wrong... Maybe it was the kiss..."

"Wait," Flame gasped. "You kissed Stella?"

"Flame!" Ember scolded him, elbowing him in the shoulder.

"Well... sort of..." Infernus looked up at the older fire breathers unsure if he was going to get scolded or not. "But it was just on the forehead... but she said it was okay."

Flame and Ember both exchanged looks. "I think I'll handle this." Ember stepped forward and bumped the other two males out of the way with her voluptuous hips. "Come with me, Infernus." Ember lifted the young dragon's head with her paw so he was staring her in the eye. "We should talk. Maybe that will make you feel better." She glanced back over her shoulder at Flame and Max. "If you boys will excuse us." She flashed Flame a wink before walking past Infernus. She let her tail graze along the young dragon's chest before pulling him along with her spade.

Flame gave an amused smile before turning back with Max. They headed back towards the pavilion where the guardians resided in silence. When they drew closer a chill blew through the air and the males rustled their wings in irritation.

"You feel that?" Flame asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." Max almost whimpered. "It's really cold all of a sudden."

"Oh crap." Flame stopped in his tracks and stared ahead. From out of their pavilion, snow flakes were blowing away in the wind.

"What's going on?" Max asked, glancing from the guardian to the pavilion. "I don't understand."

"It's Candice," Flame sighed. "It looks like she and Tremor had a fight. A big one."


	19. Chapter 19

"And then she just flew off," Infernus finished telling his story to Ember. The two had retreated to a secluded part of the city just beyond the northern gardens.

"I see." Ember nodded thoughtfully. She thought for a long moment as she watched the young Infernus fiddle with a yellow rose between his black claws. "I think I know what's going on with Stella."

"You do?" Infernus turned to look at her, nearly dropping the rose in the process.

Ember nodded. "There's something you need to know about her first."

"I'm listening." Infernus sat still and put all his attention on the pink dragoness.

"Ok, here's the deal." Ember cleared her throat before continuing. "A couple months ago, a group of wolves attacked the eastern dragon city. During the attack they kidnapped most of the black dragon population but Stella managed to save one in particular. At the time we had no idea why the wolves wanted the black dragons. But I'll get to that later. Stella soon became friends with the dragon she saved and they quickly formed a relationship together. As time went on he almost became part of the group until he, Spyro and Cynder were captured. After rescuing Spyro and Liun, Liun started acting more aggressive towards everyone in the group. He even went as far as to attack Spyro and fight with Tremor until he was finally expelled from the group. Stella was crushed because she had really come to like Liun at the time and couldn't believe he had acted in such a way. But not long after, Tremor was nearly killed and Stella was kidnapped by the Dark Master's forces. She was reunited with Liun from what she told us only to find out he had been working with the Dark Master from the very beginning."

"Really?" Infernus exclaimed, causing Ember to jolt in surprise.

The pink dragoness nodded. "The attack on the dragon city, his rescue by Stella, the attack on Warfang by the Dark Master and Titanus, the capture of Spyro and Cynder, the attempted murder on Tremor, it was all his doing. He even tried to corrupt Stella into turning against us." Ember shook her head. "How she was able to resist and break his spell I'll never know. Cynder has told us horrible stories about how powerful the Dark Master's magic is."

"That bastard!" Infernus slammed a paw into the ground, outraged at what he was hearing. "How could he do such a thing to her!" The air around Infernus seemed to sizzle from the intense heat radiating off of his body.

"Calm down there hot stuff." Ember placed a paw on the young dragon's shoulder to calm him down. "Believe me, we were just as furious as you are, maybe even more so. But being guardians, we have to keep our heads cool when our tempers aren't."

"But I'm not a guardian." Infernus pointed out, his eyes seeming to glow white-hot with anger.

"No, you're not." Ember replied. "But being level headed is a trait that I think Stella would admire in you."

"Oh," Infernus immediately calmed down and relaxed his muscles, but the anger still resided deep inside his heart. He had never even met this dragon, Liun, but already he wished him dead. It was a feeling that secretly made him uncomfortable.

"I think the problem is that Stella is worried that she may be rushing into a relationship too fast with you. I know it sounds trivial and stupid, but she's most likely afraid of being hurt again. I hope you understand that."

"I do." Infernus nodded sadly. "But I do like her a lot. And I'd never, ever do anything like that to her. Not intentionally."

Ember giggled. "You've been hanging around Tremor a little I see." Infernus blushed slightly. The time he had spent talking with the earth dragon he had learned quite a bit of valuable knowledge. "Candice told us he said the same thing to her once." Infernus only continued to blush sheepishly. Ember laughed and gave the young dragon a playful shove with her shoulder. "Hey, cheer up. Stella's not gone from you. She's just a bit confused right now. Nothing she can't overcome. Just continue being yourself around her and she'll eventually come around."

"Really?" Infernus glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, I don't like to make promises that I can't keep," Ember tapped her chin with a talon as she looked up at the clouds drifting by overhead. "But if I know Stella, she won't disappoint."

"Thank you Ember." Infernus almost started to cry again, but with relief rather than sorrow.

"Hey, any friend of Stella's is a friend of mine until proven otherwise." Ember smirked. She leaned over and gave the young dragon a bump with her muzzle and planted a small kiss on his cheek. Infernus's heart jumped as well as his temperature. Ember giggled when she saw his embarrassed look. "You're a nice guy Infernus. I think Stella would be very lucky to have you. You're a real sweetheart."

"Thank you," Infernus mumbled, trying to hide his bashfulness. After a moment he thought of something and hopped to his feet. "Ember, would you come with me for a minute? Please?"

"Um, sure." Ember nodded, taken aback by his sudden energy. She got up and followed after the red dragon as he led her through the city to his own pavilion. They ducked inside and immediately Ember felt the intense heat within the room. She remembered her younger days when her elder and mentor Marla had made a habit of keeping Ember's living quarters at a constant high, dry temperature. It was always important for fire dragons, when coming around to their breeding age to have perfect skin to attract their mates. Dragons rarely shed after their teenage years. When reaching sexual maturity they would shed their hatchling scales and form their new, thicker, stronger sub-adult scales. This was also a critical time in their life when infection could be inflicted upon them if they didn't keep their new scales cleaned constantly.

Ember breathed in the deep smoky smell of coal burning and sighed deeply. She watched as Infernus walked over to the fireplace where the coal was burning bright. He gave the furnace a quick look before flicking his tongue out to test the temperature. With a deep breath, he breathed a wave of intense fire into the furnace. As he did, Ember spotted a small pot inside the flames. When Infernus stopped to take a breath Ember moved closer to peer into the flames.

"What is that in there?"

"It's metal," Infernus replied, trying to restrain his excitement.

"Metal? What for?" Ember raised a curious brow.

"Here, I'll show you." Infernus turned and lifted a mold between his paws and held it up for Ember to see.

"I don't get it," Ember tilted her head, clueless after studying the object for a minute.

"It's a mold. I'm making something for Stella."

"Oh, really?" Ember nodded and nearly had to smack herself for such an obvious answer being thrown at her. "May I ask what it is?"

"Just a pair of trinkets she can wear." Infernus said proudly. "Thought she would like them and they would look really good on her."

"Wow." Ember's eyes widened. She was genuinely impressed by the elaborate design in the mold. The pink dragoness squinted closer and saw that there was a message inscribed into the mold. Her eyes widened and she looked up at the young dragon. "You're really serious about Stella aren't you?" Infernus only looked away and nodded silently. "Do you think it will fit?" She asked after a brief moment.

"It should." Infernus nodded.

"How? Did you measure her for this?"

"In a way." Infernus scrunched his mouth up as he remembered how he had done it. "I just asked to hold her hand for a moment and that was all I needed to measure out her forelimbs."

"You did all that just by holding her hand?" Ember's brows jumped in surprise. "Wow, I should trade Flame for you."

"What?" Infernus gulped and swallowed hard, his cheeks burning against the hot air.

"I'm just kidding." Ember laughed and nearly fell over in hysterics. "But I'm glad you're serious about what you want. I think Stella will come to admire that a lot about you Infernus."

"I hope so." Infernus muttered as he stared down at the molds he'd made.

"Even if she doesn't return the same feelings, she'll still be your best friend in the world Infernus." Ember pulled him close to her with her wing and gave him a comforting nuzzle. "That's something to be thankful for in and of itself."

Infernus was a bit hesitant at this statement but a smile spread across his face none the less. "Yeah, but for now I intend to go for her with everything I've got because I love her."

Candice lay in the flowers crying until her eyes were dry. The news Tremor had given her hurt more than anything she had ever endured until that point.

"I hate you Tremor," She sobbed. "I really hate you!"

"Hate who?" A voice startled the ice dragoness whose head snapped around. Standing behind her was a young, grey-blue dragoness. Pink spines lined her back and her face was lined with four thick horns. The coloration of her breast scales almost matched Cynder's eyes and she wore a violet ring around her left foreleg and horn.

"Who are you?" Candice almost hissed defensively but the dragoness didn't seem phased by her reply.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I should introduce myself. My name's Shard, what's yours?"

Candice rubbed her eyes and tried to gather herself enough to face this new dragoness. "I'm Candice." The ice dragoness nearly choked again.

"It's nice to meet you Candice." Shard smiled but it quickly faded to sympathy. "Although I wish it were under better circumstances."

"I'm sorry." Candice sniffled. "I just had a huge fight with someone I love deeply. I'm just...just..."

"Hey now, calm down," Shard whispered, stepping closer to the older dragoness. "I'm sure it's not that bad."

Candice shook her head. "Oh, you have no idea," She sobbed.

Shard paused as Candice hung her head to stare at the ground. After a moment's thought she turned towards the city. "Come on, let's talk about it." She urged Candice to follow her.

"It's alright." Candice sighed. "I'll be alright."

"I wasn't requesting." Shard said, more seriously. Candice was surprised by the sternness in the young dragoness's voice but she was too emotionally drained to argue. She followed Shard back towards the city. As they walked she explained what had gone on between her and Tremor. She didn't realize it until they stopped walking that Shard had lead her to the elder's temple.

"I'm sorry to hear you're having a rough moment with your boyfriend." Shard sighed sadly. "So does this mean you two are done with each other?"

"I don't know." Candice shuddered and ruffled her wings. "I just don't know anymore. I feel so empty and lost."

"I used to feel like that myself back when I had my first boyfriend." Shard nodded. "I wondered how I would go on, let alone survive on my own."

"So what did you do?" Candice asked.

Shard seemed to blush and averted her gaze slightly. "Well, I was told by a friend that just because one guy isn't right for me, doesn't mean I won't find the one I'm meant to be with until I start looking."

"And have you found the guy for you yet?"

Shard shook her head. "Not yet, but I know I will some day."

"How can you be so sure?" Candice inquired almost fearfully. "We can go our entire lives without finding the one we're meant for. The world is just too big."

"I know." Shard nodded as she stopped to look up at a mosaic. "But I have faith. Faith that I'll be happy one day with a male that will treat me well."

Candice stared at her for a long, tense moment. "I envy you already. I wish I could have that kind of faith in Tremor."

"Why not?" Shard asked almost shocked at the guardian's words.

"Because Tremor hasn't sounded more serious in all the time I've known him." Candice sighed as she looked down at the marble floor. "I thought I knew him better, but I guess I was wrong."

"Don't say that," Shard scolded and gave the ice dragoness a tough bump with her hips. "You two mated with each other! That has to mean something! Mating isn't something that's just done and taken for granted." She looked back up at the mosaic and smiled to herself. "In my opinion, mating is a way of bonding. It's like a pact between two dragons who love each other deeply enough to engage in such an activity." Shard looked back at Candice; her cheeks slightly flushed. "From what you've told me about you and your boyfriend's past together you should know each other very well at this point. I won't lie so forgive me when I say that he does sound like he's as stubborn as a rock." Candice gave an amused chuckle which seemed to quell her feelings slightly. "But just because he's stubborn doesn't mean he's not able to be swayed."

"What makes you so certain?" Candice narrowed her eyes at the young dragoness.

Shard laughed. "Come on Candice. We're girls. We can get guys to do just about anything for us. We just have to give them the right motivation." She gave Candice a sly wind and a grin spread across the ice dragoness's features.

"Yeah I suppose you're right." She nodded in agreement.

"I know I am." Shard giggled. "Just have faith. If he truly loves you then he'll realize he's made an error and come back."

"Hm," Candice nodded and looked up at the mosaic of a young white dragoness with a gold breast plate and ring around her horn, much like Shard's. "I hope so," She thought to herself. "I really hope so."


	20. Chapter 20

Hunter gasped as he clawed his way up the side of the mountain. The warrior had been traveling for a couple weeks, following the trails left by his scout falcons and the guardians. He had passed quickly through the mountain wastes only to find his progress impeded by a mountain that seemed to disappear into the fog above.

"By the ancients, what in the world could those dragons be doing all the way out here?" He groaned to himself. He normally wasn't one to openly complain as he always felt it necessary to set an example for other warriors. "All I can pray for is that they're safe."

At last, after nearly an hour of climbing straight up, he reached the bottom of the stairs that spiraled around the mountain. The cheetah warrior stopped to rest and catch his breath and chow down on the rations he had caught along the way. The tough meat was bland but it gave him strength in his haste to track down the missing dragons.

After a short break Hunter rose up again and began to ascend the stairs; but rather than walking upright, he resorted to running on all fours. It didn't take him long to realize how long the incline was and how far around the mountain he was going.

"This was obviously in the creator's design," He muttered to himself as he pressed onward. Slowly the fog began to burn away and the warm sun started to break through the clouds. The cheetah slowed his run to a hurried trot.

High above, Tang and Static sat beside the staircase looking out over the fog as it billowed away in gentle wisps in the wind.

"Glad to see it's another nice day out," Static sighed contently.

"I guess so." Tang shrugged and the yellow dragoness turned to look at him.

"You guess? Why?"

"I dunno." Tang sighed and looked down at the dark fog below the mountain.

"Something on your mind Tangy?" Static raised a brow suspiciously.

The blue dragon glared at her. "Don't call me that."

"Well then, tell me what's bothering you."

"It's the guardians," Tang sighed after a long, quiet moment.

"What about them?"

"I overheard an argument between the ones Tremor and Candice. Tremor was saying he was thinking about resigning as a guardian."

"No way!" Static exclaimed and instantly cupped her paws over her mouth. "Do you think he's serious?" She asked as she leaned in close to him.

"I have no idea." Tang shrugged. "I barely know the guy. I mean, to become an actual guardian, I would imagine you need to be exceptionally special. But to become a guardian, then quit..." He shook his head as he tried to shake the thoughts from his head. "I just can't fathom why he would want to. I mean sure it can be dangerous. But..."

"Maybe Tremor just wants a normal life with Candice." Static pointed out. "Maybe he doesn't want all the danger and injuries that he's been dealing with lately." She reflected back to what she saw when the earth dragon had sparred with Max. She shuddered at the memory of Tremor's blood spattered across the ground.

"I suppose," Tang muttered. "I guess all we can do is sit and wait to see how things play out."

"Excuse me." Both dragons jumped in surprise to see Hunter standing at the top of the staircase.

"Who are you?"Tang snarled and jumped in front of Static with his body low to the ground and his wings spread wide. "What are you doing here?"

Seeing the young dragon's reaction to his presence, Hunter knelt down on one knee and laid his bow and arrows out before him. "I do not mean you any harm. I've been tracking some young dragons and their trail has led me here."

"The guardians?" Static raised a brow and Tang shot her a look.

"Static!"

"So you have seen them." Hunter's eyes seemed to light up. "Are they still here?"

"What if they are?" Tang demanded. "Who are you and why do you want to see them?"

"I apologize for the informalities." Hunter sighed, seeing that getting past the young dragons wasn't going to be as easy as he'd hoped. "I am Hunter, a friend of the guardians."

Tang's eyes narrowed at the cheetah. After a moment he glanced back over his shoulder. "Static, go give the mountain a quick sweep."

"What? Why do I have to do it?"

"Because everyone knows you're the best and fastest flyer here."

"Awww," Static whined and walked past Hunter before taking flight. Tang and the cheetah watched her as she flew a few hundred yards out before diving into the dense fog below.

"Come with me," Tang ordered, thrusting his head back towards the city. Hunter nodded, gathered his bow and arrows and followed Tang up through the gardens. As they walked, Hunter took notice of the peacefulness of this isolated dragon city. The dragons that lingered about in the gardens all watched Hunter with a curious eye but made no rude or suspicious gestures towards him.

"Hey Tang!" Plax called from up on a pavilion rooftop. "You bringing more visitors?"

"Very funny!" Tang rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Do me a favor and go find the guardians." He glanced back over his shoulder. "And tell them Hunter is here."

"You got it." Plax laughed and flew off deeper into the city.

"If I may," Hunter spoke up. "How are they doing? Are they well?"

Tang sighed as he continued to lead Hunter towards the elder's temple. "More or less." He replied. "I remember they were in pretty bad shape when they arrived. Especially the purple one, Spyro. He was half dead when Static found them wandering in the mountain wastes." The blue dragon slowed his pace until he was walking beside Hunter and glanced up at him. "He's fine now though. But the others seem to be a bit disturbed with the earth guardian Tremor."

"How so?" Hunter scratched his chin.

"He's been talking about resigning from being a guardian," Tang replied, sounding rather depressed about it. "Can he do that?"

Hunter shook his head. "It is not up to us whether he becomes guardian or not. We can only choose him as a candidate. If Tremor were to become guardian, it would be his own decision. It was the same with Ember and Flame, though they both work very well together so Ember can technically be considered an unofficial guardian."

"Huh," Tang muttered. "I hope Tremor doesn't quit being a guardian. I mean, I don't know him that well, but he doesn't strike me as the type to quit anything."

"Well, the one thing I have learned about young earth dragons is that they can be very stubborn. But that stubbornness turns to wisdom as they grow older."

"You sound so confident." Tang glanced up at again. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because Tremor would not have been chosen as a candidate if he didn't possess certain qualities that would make for a fine guardian."

"Hunter!" The cheetah and blue dragon's heads snapped around to see Cynder bounding over in their direction. "Hunter, I can't believe it! It's really you!" Cynder leaped up and the cheetah grabbed her in his arms as she nuzzled his warm fur affectionately.

"Cynder, it is good to see you alive and well." Hunter rubbed her head and hugged her gently before setting her down.

"How long have you been looking for us?" Cynder asked, already concerned that he had been sent out to find them.

"Thankfully, not three years." The cheetah chuckled and Cynder gave a slight smirk. "It's been reduced to about three weeks. Are the others around?"

"I think they're being gathered right now," Cynder replied. "We can meet at the main temple. Is that alright?"

"That was the plan," Tang replied, taking a hurried step. "Shall we?"

"Indeed." Hunter nodded.

They followed Tang to the temple to find the elders just coming outside to meet them.

"Oh my." Magnitus looked at Hunter with wide eyes. "So many visitors to our beloved home."

"I apologize for having walked in on you so suddenly." Hunter bowed respectfully. "I was sent by the elder guardians to track down the younger ones after they disappeared some time ago."

"So we have heard." Tyrannica nodded. "They sound like they've had quite the adventure."

"To say the least," Cynder thought to herself.

"Hunter!" Everyone's head turned to see Flame and Ember gliding towards them. A little ways away, Candice and Stella came sprinting around the corner of a pavilion. Lastly Tremor arrived at a hurried pace but his steps were hesitant. The other dragons seemed to fall silent as soon as he arrived on the scene making him extremely uncomfortable.

"Well then," Magnitus coughed, interrupting the silence. "Shall we retreat inside?" He looked around the crowd of gathered residents who immediately took notice and started to slink away.

"Perhaps it would be best to discuss current matters in private." Hunter nodded as he followed the elders up the stairs. The guardians followed after him, their spirits somewhat raised from having a familiar presence among them. However Candice stayed behind when Tremor started to follow.

"Sorry Tremor," She said positioning herself in front of him. "This is guardian business."

"What?" Tremor looked surprised. "But I,"

"Guardian business." Candice repeated, more sternly this time.

"But Candice, I..." Tremor started to step forward but stopped when the dragoness's tail blade became level with his chest.

"Guardians only," The dragoness hissed. She turned away leaving a shocked and dismayed Tremor standing on the stairs alone without a friend in the world.


	21. Chapter 21

Tremor trudged about the city aimlessly for what felt like hours. He had never felt so lost and alone since he had lost his sister.

"Gaia, what have I done?" The earth dragon whimpered softly. "I've made a terrible mistake. And I don't know if I can fix it."

There was nothing but silence as he walked on. Without even realizing it Tremor walked out to the outer fields, east of the city. Out here was where the young hatchlings played and learned from the elders to master combat skills and their elemental powers. A familiar wind blew through the air and Tremor shielded himself from the presence. He looked around the fields at the young dragons running about breathing fire, ice, lightning and earth at each other. Tremor watched in silence before the sounds of crying reached his ears. The earth dragon looked around but saw no one. He followed the noise to its source and found a little, pale green dragoness no older than five years sitting under a tree and sobbing to herself.

"Hey there," Tremor called as he walked up to her. "What's the matter?"

The little dragoness looked up at him with big wet eyes and cheeks dripping with tears. "The others won't let me play with them because I haven't learned to use my breath attacks yet."

Tremor's brows jumped as he looked back at the other young dragons having their fun. "Well that's not very nice or fair of them." Tremor replied in moderate disgust.

"Yeah, they're mean!" The dragoness spat and turned away from them.

"I agree, it's not very nice of them." Tremor nodded as he sat down beside her. "But how would like to learn a secret earth move from a master dragon."

The dragoness wiped her face and looked up at him. "You're not a master. You're too little." She gave a sweet giggle and Tremor couldn't help but laugh in amusement.

"You're never too little to do anything," Tremor stated. "I'm the youngest earth guardian in existence at the moment."

"Really?" The dragoness's eyes grew wide with awe and Tremor nodded proudly. "Wow, you must be powerful."

Tremor chuckled. "It's not always about power. But how you use it is what matters most. Come on, I'll show you." Tremor got up and the little dragoness followed him a few yards away from the tree. "Now show me what you can do."

"I can't do anything." The dragoness hung her head shamefully.

"I know. But you only told me that. I want to see for myself."

The dragoness looked at him meekly before turning away and coughing hard. After several failed attempts she grew frustrated and slammed her paw on the ground sending up a small cloud of dirt. Tremor noticed and made a mental note to himself.

"Darn it! I can't get it at all! I'll never get it!"

"That's not true and you know it," Tremor snapped surprising the young dragoness. "Sometimes it takes longer for it to click, but you'll learn it much faster once you know what you're doing. Now sit back and watch me." The dragoness did as she was told and backed up several steps. Tremor closed his eyes to show he was concentrating. His body started to glow with energy and the dragoness's eyes grew wide. "What you have to do is pretend that you are the ground you walk on. You should pay attention to what the environment around you is so you can use it to your advantage."

"I don't get it." The little dragoness tilted her head sideways.

"Like this ground here." Tremor pointed to the spot where he was standing. "Just because you can't use your breath attacks doesn't mean you can't use your element to your advantage. Now watch what I do." Tremor's energy expanded outward. Slowly he began to gather chunks of the dirt around him to form his protective barrier. The little dragoness continued to watch with interest and soon Tremor had the attention of the other young dragons as well.

Once Tremor was encased in earth he relaxed and let the barrier fall.

"It may look hard but it's a lot easier than it may seem," He said, looking back at the youngster. "But for now I want you to focus on doing this." Tremor slammed a paw into the ground and sent a pillar of earth shooting into the air. The young dragons all looked up with wide eyes as the watched the projectile come smashing back into the ground. "Now you try." Tremor thrust his head towards the dragoness.

The little dragon raised her paw high and struck the ground with everything she had. She didn't get the same effect as Tremor but she did manage to raise up a mound of earth in the process.

"It didn't work." She pouted.

"You got it started though." Tremor pointed to the mound. "I think I was maybe two years older than you before I learned to do that. Now try again, this time I want you to think about what it is you're doing to the ground. Imagine the ground shooting up like I made it do."

The dragoness closed her eyes for a moment before raising her paw in the air again. She slammed it into the ground and up shot a massive boulder. Tremor's eyes widened as he watched the mass of earth shoot up into the sky. Off to the side the other dragons gasped in awe and amazement. The dragoness opened her eyes and saw the gaping hole in the ground before looking up to see what she had done.

"It worked!" She squeaked in excitement.

"Heads up!" Tremor called and covered her protectively. With a roar, he fired an earth bullet and destroyed the plummeting boulder, showering the area with pebble-sized chinks of earth. When the raining had stopped the other young dragons began to cheer excitedly as they rushed over to the two earth dragons.

"Wow! That was amazing!" A young fire breather gasped.

"How did you do that?" Another one asked.

"Could you teach us how?" One of the younger male earth dragons asked, looking up at Tremor.

"I could." The earth dragon nodded. "But I think your little friend there could also." The other dragons looked at the young dragoness for a moment and she tried to hide under Tremor's wing.

"Vera, could you teach us how to shoot rocks like that?" The earth dragon asked eagerly. "Please?"

"Yeah!" Several of the other earth dragons begged. Vera remained hidden under Tremor's wing until he lifted it and nudged her forward with his snout.

"I think that it's only fair that you all teach Vera how to use her breath attacks. And in return she'll show you how to shoot rocks like me. Does that sound fair?"

"Yeah!" All the dragons chirped in unison. Vera looked up at Tremor who gave her a wink.

"Go on. Have some fun."

"Yeah, come on Vera!" Several of the other dragons beckoned her. "You can come play with us."

"Okay!" Vera laughed and took off after the other youngsters.

Tremor watched them run off together and he couldn't help but smile to himself. The wind rustled again and he nodded before whispering, "Thanks Gaia." He continued on, walking at the edge of the mountain, letting the wind blow against his sides and fill him with a more confident air.

"This must be what Master Terrador, Cyril and Volteer feel like with us." He thought to himself. "And here I was ready to give up on them too." The dragon paused and looked back towards the city. "I hope they can forgive me for being such a boulder-headed idiot." He gave a low sigh as he started to plan out how he would approach the other guardians.

While he was in the middle of thinking he heard a soft cry close by. He looked around and realized he was close to the top of the staircase that spiraled around the mountain. Curiously he walked over and listened for the sound again. He could sense footsteps coming up the stairs but they were heavy and irregular. As the earth dragon came down the steps he stopped head in his tracks.

Static looked up at him, tears and blood filling her eyes. Her goggles were shattered with several pieces of the lenses lodged into her cheeks. Cuts and gashes lined her once sleek, unscarred body, along with a couple broken spears sticking out of her hind leg and shoulders.

"H-help me..." She sobbed as she tried to reach out towards the earth dragon.

"Dear ancestors!" Tremor was at her side in a single bound and hoisted her onto his back. "Come on; let's get you to the healer."

"I... I hurt..." The young dragoness whimpered, her tears and blood streaming onto Tremor's back. "It hurts."

"It's alright," Tremor spoke softly to her as he carried her to the top of the stairs. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." As he emerged into the gardens again the few dragons that were there raised their heads. "Go get Singe and tell her it's an emergency!" He shouted. "Hurry!"

All the dragons scrambled in a flurry of claws and wings before disappearing in a matter of seconds. By the time Tremor had hauled the wounded lightning dragoness to the pavilion Singe was already at the entrance waiting for him.

"Goodness! What happened?" The white dragoness gasped, mortified by Static's appearance.

"Let's get her settled first," Tremor urged her. "Same room?"

"Y-yes." Singe nodded, surprised that the earth dragon was taking such charge of the situation.

Tremor settled the young dragoness down and looked to Singe. "We need something to stop the bleeding."

"Um, right." Singe turned towards her shelves where she kept her plants and herbs. After a moment of rummaging she grabbed several large leaves that had been rolled up together. She dragged them across the wall, tearing the skin from them and letting the sap start oozing before placing the leaves onto Static's gashes.

The lightning dragoness screamed in pain as a burning sensation ripped through her body. The sap stung like a thousand hornets for every inch of open wound that was exposed.

"It's alright." Tremor held her down to keep her from thrashing and placed a comforting paw on top of hers. "No one's going to hurt you now. You're safe as long as I'm around."

Hearing his voice seemed to soothe the dragoness a little and her breathing slowed.

"There you go." Tremor smiled, seeing her begin to relax. "Now, I know you're in a lot of pain, but you're going to be in even worse pain if we leave those spears stuck in you."

"You're going to yank them out, aren't you?" Static exclaimed; the panic weighing heavily in her voice.

"We kind of have to." Tremor nodded and felt the dragoness cringe beneath his paws. "But before we can do that we need you to relax. I can promise you it's going to be quick, but only if you listen to my voice." Static looked up at him, unsure of whether to trust him. "I won't lie, it's going to hurt." Tremor said. "But it's literally gong to be over in the blink of an eye."

"You promise?" Static whined, as she glanced at Singe.

"Just close your eyes for me, Static." Tremor tightened his grip around her paw. "Now I want you to focus on my voice and nothing else. Before we can do this we need you distracted. Okay?"

"Okay," Static murmured as she took in a forced breath. "I think I'm ready." You focusing on my voice so far?" Tremor asked, glancing to Singe. The white dragoness stood ready.

"I'm focusing on you." Static nodded, keeping her eyes closed.

"Are you sure?" Tremor asked.

"Yea, I'm sure."

"Positive?"

"I'm positive."

"Are you absolutely certain that my voice is the main thing you're focusing on?"

Before Static could answer, Singe grabbed the broken spear heads and pulled them out in lightning quick succession. Static's expression twisted horribly as she tried to scream and answer Tremor at the same time but only managed a raspy squeak.

"There, all done," Tremor whispered, stroking her neck softly. He nodded to Singe and she started to dress the wounds. "Now, can you tell me what happened?"

Static lay gasping heavily for a minute before she was able to speak clearly.

"It all happened so fast," She murmured. "When Hunter arrived, Tang told me to scout out the mountain side to see if he was alone. When I did I saw..." Tremor held his breath; he already had a good idea what it was she ran into.

"Wolves?"

Static nodded. "I managed to beat some of them but there were just too many." She looked back at Singe with a humiliated look on her face. "I tried to stop them, I really tried my hardest."

"Easy, Static." Singe gave her friend a gentle rub on her side. "You did your best—that's all we could have asked."

"I agree," Tremor nodded. "Wolves aren't to be taken lightly and they are unbelievably hard to beat. Can you tell me how many there were?"

Static shook her head "I don't think I can count that high." Singe's eyes widened and she looked at Tremor in horror.

"That's not good." Tremor growled, his defensive energy coming back to him. "How close were they?"

"They were scaling the mountain when I saw them."

Now Tremor's eyes grew wide and he turned to Singe. "Do you have shelters here in case of an invasion?"

"No, we've never had such a thing happen before." Singe shook her head with fear in her eyes.

"Then do me a favor," Tremor ordered as he backed out of the room. "Get everyone to cover as fast as you can. I have to warn the other guardians."

"I see." Hunter rubbed his chin. "And how long will it take Spyro to complete his new training?"

"We're not sure," Cynder replied solemnly. "He's been up there for a few days now."

"I suppose it can't be helped." Hunter sighed. "If he's lost his powers then he'll need them back."

"The good news is that it's Spyro," Flame said. "He's a smart guy so he may even be almost done as it is."

"Perhaps." Magnitus nodded. "But in the meantime, Hunter, perhaps you would like to rest after such a long journey?"

The cheetah nodded gratefully. As Magnitus and the elders walked back outside with the guardians, the fire elder Ash happened to glance down at the young blue dragon walking beside him.

"Tang, is there something on your mind?" He asked, noticing the young dragon's look of deep concentration.

"I'm just thinking," Tang replied. "I sent Static out to scout around the wastes to see if Hunter had come alone but she's been gone for a long time."

"Hm, that is troubling." The old dragon narrowed his eyes towards the edge of the city. "Would you like to go look for her?"

"I would like that." Tang nodded, thankful for the elder's permission. Before he could run off there was a loud roar off to the side. Tang and the procession stopped and turned to see Tremor sprinting towards them.

"Tremor?" Flame cocked his head to the side curiously.

"What are you doing here?" Candice demanded, stepping in front of the fire guardian.

"We've got trouble!" Tremor answered, quickly glancing around the group of faces. "Wolves have been spotted climbing up the mountainside and from the sounds of it there are a lot of them."

"Wolves? How?" Ember gasped in shock, recalling all the horrible battles they had experienced over the past three months.

"My guess is that they were following Hunter's trail." Tremor shrugged. "That would make the most sense for me."

"And Static?" Tang took a panicked step towards the earth dragon. "Where is she?"

Tremor sighed. "Static's been hurt but she'll survive. She managed to slow them down enough to buy us a little more time."

"She's been hurt? Where is she?" Tang exclaimed.

"With Singe," Tremor replied.

"Thanks Tremor," Tang nodded and took off running.

"Wait!" Tremor called after him and Tang stopped. "Help Singe get everyone to cover! This place is about to get hit hard!"

Tang's eyes widened as he came to realize the seriousness of the situation. He nodded again silently and rushed off.

"We haven't much time." Magnitus turned to the other elders. "We must defend our home. We cannot allow it to be taken over by these invaders. Uranus, you and Wraith help protect the young ones. Keep them away from the wolves. They're our future."

"Understood." Uranus nodded and lumbered off in a hurry with Wraith close behind him.

"The rest of us will prepare to defend the city." Magnitus turned to face his remaining comrades. "With our lives if we have to."

"Not today you're not." Tremor spoke up and stepped forward boldly. "We won't lose any dragons to these bastards today!" He looked at Flame and the others. "Right?"

"Yeah!" Stella was the first to cheer.

"I agree." Cynder nodded. "I don't want Malefor's forces destroying this beautiful place."

"Then let's move!" Flame ordered and sprinted forward. Magnitus and the elders took to the air and Flame followed with his teammates. Tremor was about to take off when Candice slapped a paw down on his tail club, holding him back.

"You're not going anywhere." She glared at him. "I told you before, we guardians can handle this."

"Look Candice. I'm so-"

"Save it Tremor." The ice dragoness raised a dismissive paw. "I'm not interested in your excuses."If you want to talk to me you do it through the others. But I'm done with you."

Tremor felt like he'd been stabbed again. He couldn't believe he had just heard the ice dragoness say those words to his face; his ice dragoness.

"But I can help." Tremor protested. "I want to help. I want to help you."

"The way you can help is protect the other dragons of this city and stay out of our way." Before Tremor could say anything more she whirled around, slapping his nose with her tail blade before taking flight. "I really hope this works," The ice guardian thought to herself as a tear rolled down her cheeks.

Tremor remained frozen where he stood as he watched her go. His throat suddenly felt dry and his limbs felt numb. He thought he had been doing well by acting as any guardian should have, but here he was, still rejected by his friends and the dragoness he loved. Off in the distance he heard a blood curdling howl cut through the air followed by a thunderous roar. The battle for Certrona had begun.

Spyro rolled away as the ball of lightning shot past him. Exile side-stepped the energy and let the barrier of the wall bounce it back at the purple dragon. Spyro raised a paw and stopped the attack. Off to the side another fireball rushed to hit him. Spyro raised his tail and stopped the burning ball of fire with his spade. After a moment of catching his breath he gently released the elements back into the flow of energy throughout the room.

"Well done." Exile nodded approvingly. "You've mastered the ability to control the energy around you. Not a very easy task if I do say so myself."

Spyro smiled as he continued to catch his breath. "I'm doing it to protect the ones I care about. They need me and I don't want to let them down."

"Understandable." Exile nodded. "But don't worry about letting them down. Your friends have faith in you. That's all you need to know. Don't worry about the outcome because more than likely it will turn out for the best." Spyro nodded as he took in a deep breath, settling himself once again. "Now, shall we continue to the final level?"

"I'm ready." Spyro nodded. Exile led the way up the stairwell for the final time. As soon as they set foot into the uppermost chamber, Spyro felt his head begin to spin. "This place feels weird." He mumbled and staggered slightly.

"It's the chamber of the celestials," Exile replied as he sat down in the center of the room. "This room is said to be guarded by the heavens themselves and is the gate to opening the final power within one who is granted entrance into the tower."

"I see." Spyro wobbled to the middle of the room and sat down beside Exile. He closed his eyes and once again delved into his peace of mind. This time, instead of seeing the room span out around him, the blue mist opened up to a world full of stars. The mist faded away to reveal magnificently colored nebulas and constellations. "Where am I?" Spyro asked, his voice seeming to echo again.

"Welcome back Spyro."

"Hello?" Spyro called looking around. "Who's there?"

"It's me again Spyro. Do you remember?"

"Remember?" Spyro raise a brow. The voice did sound oddly familiar. "Cynder?"

An amused laughed echoed around him. "No, sorry sweetheart. I'm not Cynder." A wisp of energy disguised as a nebula brushed under Spyro's chin and he began to relax and let his mind drift away.

"So who are you?" Spyro asked lazily.

"You can say I'm the one who watches over you and the rest of this world alongside the ancestors who have passed before."

"So you're a dragon."

The female's voice laughed again. "I was at one point. But that was such a long time ago."

"Why am I here?" Spyro looked around the vast colorful spectrum before him.

"You've proven to be a divine soul and have made it through all the tests. If you now wish to, I can grant you the power to protect the ones you love. As you have always wanted."

"But I don't want to be powerful," Spyro protested. "I just want to protect my friends. I want to live a peaceful life with them. With Cynder. I don't want to fight."

"Very good Spyro." The female voice cooed in approval. "You've passed the final test."

"That was a test?" The purple dragon's eyes grew wide. He had been so relaxed in his thinking that he hadn't even thought about what may happen once he had begun talking.

"Only the greedy seek power. But the noble seek the gift to help others." Just then a single star began to glow brighter than the rest. Spyro watched as it began to grow larger and bend its shape to the form of a dragoness. The purple dragon had to shield his eyes from the blinding light. "It's time," The dragoness whispered, "To receive your gift."


	22. Chapter 22

Spears arched high into the air. The dragons of Certrona all back winged and banked out of the way, trying to avoid the crude spearheads and each other at the same time. A moment later the wolves charged forward, their howls filling the air with their lust for blood.

The dragon elders were the first to meet the enemy head on. Magnitus and Tyrannica barreled through the fist line of attacking canines, sending them bouncing across the ground. Their pack mates sprang over them and swung their blades at the dragons, preventing them from trampling over their downed companions. Tyrannica roared in outrage and breathed a wave of ice across the wolves, freezing them in place. Magnitus opened his jaws wide and unleashed a shower of lighting bolts, frying the frozen wolves in their icy caskets.

The invaders didn't slow down their assault. Off to the side, more of the warriors were pushing past Ash, Flame and Ember. The fire breathers combined their powers to send out a wall of fire along the perimeter of the lower gardens to keep the wolves from pressing any closer to the city. Flame and Ember charged through the wall of fire and spat a volley of fire balls. The explosions sent bodies and limbs flying in all directions before the wolves regrouped enough to bear down on the young dragons. Ash soared over the wall and spewed another wave of fire, halting the wolves where they stood. He shot over their heads, grabbing several in his claws before hurling them over the side of the cliff.

"Bring him down!" Tuerto barked. "Before he knocks us off this mountain!"

Several of the wolves rushed forward, grabbing their spears that were lodged in the ground. A pair of wolves breathed a cloud of ice, creating a hole in the wall of fire created the dragons. The wolves began to push through the wall as Ask banked back for another run. The canines saw him coming and continued to press forward. Just as Ash dove in low enough, three wolves leaped onto their spears and vaulted into the air. Ash's eyes grew wide in surprise and he bellowed in pain as they drove their spears and blades into his flesh. The wolves scrambled onto his back and stabbed into him again. The old dragon howled and spun to try and throw them off but they dug their weapons in deeper. The attackers barked to each other and two grabbed onto Ashes wings.

Down below, Flame and Ember watched in horror as the wolves cut into Ash's wing membranes, sending a shower of blood raining down on them. The elder gave a cry and plummeted to the ground.

"We have to help him!" Ember cried.

"Go!" Flame shouted. "I'll hold them off."

"Flame," Ember started to protest but he shot her a heated glare.

"Just do it!"

Ember nodded worriedly and flew as fast as she could, trying to get ahead of the wolves that were closing in on the old dragon.

The three that had brought the large fire breather down withdrew their weapon from his bleeding flesh and moved toward his head. The wounded dragon glared up at them and snapped his jaws. The wolves jumped back as Ash struggled to get to his feet. Smiles spread across their muzzles when Ash's front legs buckled. Just as they were about to move in for the final blow, a shower of sparklers blinded them. Ember rammed into them as they staggered around blindly. Before they could get up she drew in a deep breath before breathing a white-hot stream of fire, turning them to ash and melting the ground where they stood.

"Are you alright?" Ember gasped as she fluttered down to the ground beside the wounded elder.

"I am still able to fight," Ash wheezed. "But I fear I am not able to fly at the moment."

"Leave that to me." Ember nodded. I can heal you myself."

"There's no time for that." Both dragons turned to see Candice gliding towards them. She had blood spattered against her pale blue scales but not from personal injuries. "He's going to have to be our stationary weapon for the time being."

"But he'll bleed to death," Ember protested.

"Heal him enough so that he doesn't." Candice stepped in front of them and spread her wings before the charging wolves. "But we have to keep them at bay!"

The wolves howled and Candice hissed menacingly. She coughed, sending a shower of spikes high into the air. The frozen spears arched high before coming down on several of the wolves unlucky enough not to dodge. Candice inhaled and held her breath for a second as the attackers continued to advance. At last she exhaled and sent a wave of ice across the ground, freezing the grass and turning it into jagged spikes to puncture the wolves feet. The canines yelped and hollered, dancing wildly, bumping into one another, trying to get away from the pain that stabbed at their feet.

"That should buy you some time," Candice called to Ember over her shoulder. "I'm going to try and get you a little more."

"Thanks!" Ember called as Candice flew off, deeper into the battle ground. The wall of fire was starting to disappear as more ice wolves hurried to put out the flames. Candice snarled angrily and landed hard on the ground, turning the earth beneath her feet to ice and sending spikes shooting up from the grass. The ice wolves choked in surprise as the spears rammed straight through them and spilled their blood across the gardens.

Candice whirled around, sending a barrage of icicles into a group of wolves that had Flame surrounded. They yelped and fell to the ground, giving the fire guardian an escape route.

"Thanks for the assist." He gasped for breath as he stood beside Candice.

"Any time." Candice nodded. "It's not like I had anyone else to look after." She spat another ice shot and froze three more wolves where they stood before shattering them with a swing of her tail.

Flame gave her a disappointed look. He had been just as surprised and shocked as the other guardians after they had heard the news from Candice that Tremor was thinking about leaving the guardians. They had all taken the news with great despondency. But having seen the earth dragon come to them in such a state when the news of an impending attack on the horizon had made him believe that there was still hope for his friend.

Flame shook those thoughts from his head and tackled a wolf that was creeping up behind Candice. "This is for Tremor!" He roared and breathed heavily into the wolf's face.

Candice turned her head at the fire guardian's words but said nothing. "Tremor, I hope you realize what you've done." She pondered to herself. All around the wolves were gathering en masse to make another push. Candice froze the ground again and sprang into the air. "Come on! We have to pull back! There's too many of them!"

Flame released another volley of fire balls before taking wing and following the dragoness back to Ember and Ash. This battle would be one of the toughest since the attack on the eastern city.

Cynder roared and swung her tail blade, slicing the throat of an attacking wolf. The beast gargled as he fell to the ground clutching at his throat. Immediately another pair of wolves leaped over their fallen pack mate and swung their blades. Cynder ducked and the blades clashed over her head. The dragoness lurched forward and slashed with her long talons, tearing the skin away from the wolves and revealing bare bone and muscle.

"Spyro, where are you?" She gasped as she turned and looked back at the tower in the distance. "We need you now."

"Look out!" Cynder's head snapped around as a group of wolves sprang towards her, their claws eager for her blood. Shadow fire exploded from the ground and Max slammed into them, ramming the leader with his head and catching the other two with the serrated claws on his wings. The four of them fell to the ground in a bloody pile. Max scrambled to his feet, slashing one wolf across the face with his tail blade and plunging his killer claw into the gut of another, spilling his entrails across the ground. The third wolf swung his bladed weapon only to meet a spray of acid from Max's throat, melting his arm away. The stunned wolf stared at the stub and jolted as Cynder thrust her tail blade through his chest.

"Cynder, you have to be more careful," Max warned her as he walked over. "You almost got hurt just now."

"Move!" Cynder shouted and jumped forward, shoving the larger black dragon out of the way. Her eyes flashed deep red and she let out a piercing cry as the next wave of attackers pressed forward. The sound of her shriek petrified the invaders and they clutched at their ears, tearing at them in fright. Cynder spread her wings wide and with a mighty flap, sent them tumbling through the air and off the cliff edge to their deaths below.

The black dragoness turned and looked back at Max with a superior smirk on her face. "Max, you have to be more careful. You almost got hurt just now." She teased. The raptor's cheeks flushed against his dark scales. The moment was interrupted by a howl in the distance and an earth shaking boom.

"Come on, we have to help the others!" Cynder shouted to Max and turned away from the now deserted gardens.

"I'm right behind you," Max called and followed close as they flew off over the city.

"Don't let them get through!" Stella shouted and sprayed the wolves down with lightning. The beasts howled and fell to the ground, only to have their pack mates take cover behind the bushes and piles of fallen bodies before hurling their spears. Stella sidestepped as several spears hit the ground beside her. Off to the side Zephyr swung his spiked tail, shattering the spears that threatened to end his and Plax's life.

The fluorescent green Plax sprang off his friend's shoulders and somersaulted through the air, covering himself in flames before dropping like a bomb on top of a cluster of wolves behind a thick bramble. Stella's eyes widened when she saw the pillar of flames shoot into the air and the screams of dying wolves.

"You're a fire dragon?" She gasped as Plax got to his feet and shook the ashes off himself.

"Sure am!" He smiled at her and gave her a sly wink.

"Plax!" Zephyr shouted and charged in. Plax turned as a large wolf raised its blade to crush him beneath it. Zephyr swept his foot across the ground, throwing Plax out of the way just in time.

"And he's an earth dragon?" Stella gaped at Zephyr as the black dragon lunged towards the wolves. Zephyr slammed head first into the wolf's gut, crushing its chest wall in the process. The canine staggered back and the other wolves that took shelter behind the brambles moved in on Plax and Zephyr. Both dragons backed up until they bumped into one another.

"Shall we?" Zephyr asked over his shoulder.

"No time like the present." Plax smirked. Both males ducked to the ground and blew hard sending up a cloud of dust and ash. The wolves snarled as the debris stung their eyes and nostrils. "Chew on this!" Plax spat a fireball into the faces of his attackers, setting their fur ablaze. The warriors screamed in agony, beating at their faces, desperate to put the flames out.

Zephyr slammed his paws into the ground, sending boulders shooting up through the ground. He whirled around, striking them with his tail, and knocking them into his opponents.

Stella nodded to herself as she watched the two of them fend off the pressing invaders. Her attention was diverted when she sensed movement to her left. She sprang into the air as more spears hit the ground where she had been standing moments before. The wolves on her end were making another push to get past her. The dragoness shrieked and unleashed another chain of lightning. The wolves tucked tail behind the shrubs as they caught fire.

"Damn it!" She cursed to herself. "I can't hit them this way."

Suddenly, a wave of fire swept across the ground, engulfing the wolves hiding in cover. They howled as they burned away in the intense heat. Stella turned her head to see a young red dragon several yards away, his eyes burning with anger and plumes of smoke billowing from his jaws. He looked up at Stella and smiled at her.

Stella found herself lost in his deep red eyes and a smile spread across her face. "Thanks for the help Infernus!" She called and headed over to him.

Before the young dragon could answer, a wolf's blade flew through the flames, catching Stella in the head with the flat of the blade. The sudden shock stunned the dragoness, knocking her from the air. Infernus's eyes widened when she hit the ground hard and didn't move. After a second Stella picked herself up and shook her head. She looked up to see Infernus running towards her then glanced to the side to see Tuerto and several other wolves heft their spears. Stella's heart rate spiked as time seemed to slow down for her. The wolves locked their killing stares on her and stepped forward. As they released their spears, Stella felt a heavy force strike her before her world went tumbling out of control. She hit the ground and heard a sickening squish and thunk behind her. She was dazed from the blow but the sudden sound of Infernus's scream snapped her back to reality.

Stella felt a painful twist her chest as she raised her head and looked back at the young fire breather. He wasn't where he had been but was now pinned to the wall. He screamed in agony as he tried to squirm free of the spears that held him in place.

"Oh ancestors, no!" She mouthed silently to herself in wide-eyed shock. "Not him." She pleaded as she watched Infernus try and pull one of the spears out of his shoulder with his jaws. "Anyone but him!" Tears began to flow down her cheeks and she felt something deep inside swell up to the surface. She sensed the presence of the wolves that had been with Tuerto move in closer to her.

In a flash, Stella turned on them. The wolves did not have a moment to retaliate before the dragoness plunged her claws into their throats, tearing at their tracheas.

By now the next wave of attackers was leaping through Infernus's wall of fire, their fur still burning slightly but not enough to stop them. Stella fixed her blazing glare on them and bolted for them. Her body suddenly was engulfed with electricity as she charged through their lines. The sounds of battle disappeared from her ears to be replaced with the shrieks and howls of dying mongrels. Stella kicked the ground shooting up into the air and spread her wings wide, absorbing as much energy from the sun as she could. Her jaws opened wide and a ball of electricity began to form.

"What is she doing?" Plax gasped as he looked up at her.

"I have a bad feeling about this!" Zephyr replied. "We'd better get out of the way!" The two males leaped up towards the upper level of the gardens as more wolves clawed at their hind quarters.

High above, lightning crackled around Stella's teeth. The clouds were darkening above and the sound of thunder rolled across the sky. The wind picked up suddenly, blowing the flames and smoke away from the gardens. The wolves yelped and gripped their weapons tighter; some even attempted to hurl their spears at the lightning guardian.

"You..." Stella hissed in her mind. "You hurt Infernus! He didn't deserve it! He's been nothing but kind hearted and loving towards me. And you all tried to kill him!" Flashes of lightning could be seen all around the mountain. "You'll pay!" Stella shrieked as a bolt shot from the sky and struck her. She screamed and released the overcharge of electricity. Down below the wolves shielded their eyes from the blinding light. For a split second everything was silent then the mountain shook as Stella's bolt cut through it. An explosion sent a shock wave through the gardens. The wolves that weren't obliterated in the blast were sent flying in all directions or off the mountain. Others were left petrified by the mass amounts of electricity that coursed through their bodies.

Stella gasped heavily, her body smoking and crackling with lightning. She suddenly felt drained of her energy and she began to lower towards the ground. As she set foot down on the glowing grass, the remnants of electric energy rushed back into her. The dragoness gasped as she felt some of her power return.

"Hey!" Plax called, grabbing the guardian's attention. Stella turned to see Plax and Zephyr doing their best to help Infernus off the wall where he was pinned. Stella dashed over to them as the red dragon's body fell to the ground.

"Stella," Infernus gasped weakly. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not!" Stella sobbed. "Look at you! You're a mess!"

"I'll be alright. I promise." Infernus groaned and struggled to get up but his strength had left him already.

Another howl cut through the air with the strong winds that Stella had brought around the dragon city.

"Infernus!" Stella, Plax and Zephyr all turned to see Max and Cynder coming in towards them. The black raptor landed and shook his head in shock at his best friend before him. The spears had punctured through his left shoulder, and wing. Another had gone completely through his side and the last was still lodged in his skin at the base of his wing. "What were you doing, you idiot!"

"It's not as bad as it looks!" Infernus wheezed, trying to put on a tough appearance for his older friend.

"My tail it isn't!" Max snapped.

"Hey! Boys!" Cynder jumped in. "Now is not the time for your macho antics." She looked to Stella and thrust her head back towards the city. "You had better get him to shelter. There's nothing more he can do for now."

"Right," Stella murmured. Plax helped her hoist Infernus up, paying little attention to how comfortable he was and focusing on getting him to safety.

"Stella," Infernus mumbled, his eyes beginning to grow heavy. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

Stella felt her heart skip a beat as she and Plax stumbled along with the wounded dragon. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Now be quiet so we can concentrate on getting you to safety."

Back in the makeshift shelters it was exceptionally noisy. All around were dragons of all ages; young ones crying, elders trying to calm down the scared little ones and the wounded being brought in.

Off in a corner, Tang sat curled around Static. The young dragoness had been sitting quietly watching the refugees huddle together. She was bandaged with medicinal leaves and her bleeding had stopped for the most part once Tang had helped her along to the upper levels of the city away from the battle ground.

"How are you holding up?" The blue dragon asked as he moved his wing up from her side to just above her shoulders.

"As well as can be expected," Static sighed in response. She was exhausted but was in too much pain to sleep.

"I'm sorry." Tang shook his head. "I never should have asked you to go out like that. It's my fault that you were hurt. It should have been me."

"Please don't blame yourself." Static whimpered. "I didn't know and neither did you."

"Even still. I thought I was doing my duty of protecting our home. And now look what's happened."

"If you hadn't sent me out, we wouldn't have known that the attack was coming." Static turned to look at him with her soft blue eyes. "You may not think so, but I know you did the right thing."

Tang let out an exasperated sigh. Static cracked a slight smile and nuzzled him warmly before resting her head against his chest. Tang, surprised by her sudden actions of affection, paused for a minute before tightening his curl around her and laying his head down over her to keep her warm.

Tremor watched the two of them and curled his lip at himself.

"I'm such a fool," He muttered.

Singe looked up at him as she continued helping a wounded ice dragon who had been impaled by a wolf's blade. "What are you talking about?"

"Them." Tremor thrust his head in the direction of Static and Tang. "I should be out there fighting to protect them. Not in here just wondering what's going on out there and if they need me."

"So what are you still doing here then?" Singe raised a brow. "Talking about it isn't going to do you any good."

"But Candice told me to stay here." Tremor hung his head as he remembered the anger in her eyes.

"And do you always listen to what she says?" Singe asked skeptically. "You don't strike me as the type to take things lying down, Tremor."

"I'm not." Tremor gave a slight chuckle.

"Then why aren't you..." Singe was broken off by stumbling footsteps. She and Tremor turned to see Uranus lumbering down the corridor with an earth dragon draped over his back. "Leafwind!" Singe cried and bounded over to him, leaving Tremor to place the last medicinal leaves onto the dragon they had been helping. Uranus set the earth dragon down on the floor and Leafwind coughed. He had several severe wounds stretched across his body.

"I'm sorry," He gasped. "I guess I'm not much of a fighter."

"Don't be silly." Singe shook her head, tears wanting to fall from her eyes. "You did all that you could."

"How's it looking out there?" Tremor asked as Singe brought the wounded Leafwind over beside the ice dragon.

"Not good." Leafwind shook his head. "They have us outnumbered ten to one, easy. They've broken through the lower levels of the gardens and are making their way towards the city itself."

"If they get there, then they'll be even harder to fight off," Tremor thought to himself.

"Tremor." A timid voice and a tiny paw came to rest on top of his. The earth dragon looked down to see Vera standing there; her eyes were glossy from crying. "I'm scared."

"You don't need to be scared." Tremor sat down and placed a paw on her head. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." Vera sniffled again and rubbed up against his side. Tremor felt a stab in his heart as he stared down at her. Singe noticed the look on his face. She and Leafwind shared a tender stare before Tremor spoke up again.

"I'm going to go take a look outside," He said, leaving the other dragons to glance at each other nervously. He crept up to the entrance to the temple and poked his head out to look around. A shadow passed over head and he ducked back inside as a spear hit the wall beside him. He slunk back only to back into Uranus's massive leg.

"What is it?" The old dragon asked. "What do you see?"

Tremor looked up at the elder for a moment; and then a smile spread across his mouth, causing the elder raise a suspicious brow.

"I'm going to go outside for a minute."

With that Tremor turned and charged out the door and out into the open. His presence was answered by a shower of spears. They landed all around him but Tremor smashed through the ones in his way. The first wolves rushed to meet him and Tremor roared. He fired an earth bullet into the face of the first two wolves before slamming his tail across the face of the next. Another cluster of the canines bore down on him and Tremor rammed through them with crushing force, sending their rag dolls sprawling across the ground in piles of broken bones.

More wolves converged on the earth guardian as he charged out onto the battlefield. Tremor felt them behind him and kicked his hind legs hard, sending earth spikes through their stomachs. Another large wolf leaped high to bring his blade down on Tremor's head but the dragon fired an earth missile into his stomach and sent him flying back over the heads of his pack mates. The other wolves stopped what they were doing and watched as the body flew off the edge of the cliff. Hundreds of yellow eyes turned on the earth dragon and cries of hatred filled the air.

Tremor plowed through another two clusters of wolves before whirling around in the air and firing a massive missile into the ground, sending more bodies flying. He landed and met the next onslaught head on. He sent up a wall of earth and slammed it into the wolves, knocking them over like so many bowling pins. A wolf slid in to swing his blade at Tremor only to have the earth guardian flip into the air and slam all fours into the ground, sending a row of spikes shooting up beneath the enemy's feet.

The sudden explosion of dirt and stone caught Max's attention. He craned his neck over the battlefield and his jaw dropped in surprise.

"Cynder, look at this!" He shouted, slashing a wolf's throat with his tail as he spun around. The black dragoness spat acid into the eyes of her attackers and turned in the direction the raptor was looking in and her eyes widened.

"Candice! I think there's something you need to see!"

"Just a second!" Candice hollered, annoyed at being shouted at during a battle. "I'm killing this guy over here! I'll be right there!" She ducked under another swing and lurched forward, slashing her tail blade across the wolf's face. The canine staggered back and found himself frozen in place by the dragoness. Candice sprang off the frozen statue and into the air. She flew over across the battlefield and was shocked to see Tremor plowing through the lines of invaders, doing everything in his power to push them back away from the city.

The earth guardian had just fired a barrage of earth bullets sending stones and bodies scattering before charging into the dust and trampling over the surviving wolves. "Tremor, what the hell do you think you're doing out there?!" Candice shouted furiously. The earth guardian only smiled to himself.

"Kicking ass, Candy!"

"Well done young guardian!" Magnitus shouted. "Carry on!"

Candice couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched her mate press the wolves back towards the gardens. "Welcome back, Tremor," she whispered to herself before dodging another spear.

The wolves rushed the earth dragon, spears thrust out in front of them, eager to impale the guardian. Just before they clashed, a wall of spikes burst up from the ground, stopping the wolves' charge and trapping their weapons between the rocks. Tremor fired an earth missile into the spikes, knocking the wolves to the ground. He gave a short jump before slamming his feet into the ground again, sending a volley of stone spikes into the air. The guardian ran past the wolves, who clawed at him before the spikes dropped back down on top of them. Two more groups of wolves rushed Tremor from both sides only to get struck with mounts of earth shooting up from the ground. As a third group rushed in, Tremor vaulted over their heads. He twisted in mid air, firing an earth bullet into the ground and catapulting the wolves high into the air and onto the spikes that stuck up from the ground. Two more attackers lunged to intercept the earth dragon's landing but ended up getting blown off the mountain with another earth bullet.

At the edge of the gardens, Tremor stopped. He turned his head and his eyes met with Tuerto's. The red wolf narrowed his yellow eyes at the earth dragon and charged forward with his spear bent on ramming Tremor straight through. Tremor charged and he began to glow with green energy. Tuerto hurled his spear at Tremor, who evaded the weapon and fired an earth bullet. Tuerto ducked and went into a slide, feet first, ready to swing his blade at Tremor. At the last possible second, Tremor sprang over the wolf and fired an earth bullet into his stomach. Tuerto's howl of pain echoed through the air when Tremor hit the ground, causing the earth beneath the wolf to send his body flying off the edge of the cliffside. Tremor watched as the wolf's body soared over the edge of the mountain and smiled to himself.

"Damn I'm good!"

"Yeah, but look behind you pebble-brain!" Candice pointed out and she froze another cluster of wolves.

Tremor turned around. "Holy shit." Below him in the lower part of the gardens stood the last of the canine warriors with blades and spears all leveled at him. "Holy shit." Tremor swallowed hard and took a step back. The wolves snarled and took an aggressive step forward. "Holy shit."

"Tremor, get out of there!" Candice screamed.

Before anyone could make a move, a thunderous roar rumbled through the air. Every head turned towards the city. The roar was followed by a deafening explosion and the upper most level of the temple down exploded. The combatants all shielded their eyes from the blinding golden light. The brilliant aura shot into the sky and the dark clouds vanished almost instantly letting the sun shine down on the dragon city.

The light faded and the dragon's jaws dropped.

"Spyro!" Cynder gasped with wide eyes. The purple dragon's scales were now silver with a line of his natural colored scales lined down his back.

"Holy shit," Tremor gasped as he and Candice stared in awe at the sight before them.

Spyro's eyes fixed on the wolves and they narrowed. He roared again and sent out a shock wave of golden energy that rushed through the city. The dragons all crouched down as the warm light rushed past them. The wolves barked, yelped and howled as the energy threw them off their feet and sent them tumbling helplessly off the mountain. The rush of energy swept down the mountainside and across the wastes, over the planes and throughout the world.

Elsewhere in the darkness of the dragon temple, Liun suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.


	23. Chapter 23

"How are you doing?" Zephyr asked when he met Plax outside his pavilion.

"I'm alright." Plax bobbed his head slightly. "Still a bit restless I guess."

"I know what you mean." Zephyr nodded. "How's the..." He gestured to a slash mark on his friend's shoulder that he had gotten from a spear.

"Better." Plax shrugged, showing that he wasn't lame in any way. "Just itches."

Zephyr chuckled. "Yeah, You're lucky you got away with such an easy mark."

"I know," Plax muttered darkly. "I wish some of the others had been as lucky.

As the two males continued to chat about the battle the day before, Cynder walked alongside Spyro, Sparx and Magnitus. She sighed sadly as she stared out from between the pavilions out at the once gorgeous gardens that now lay in ruins. Tufts of earth had destroyed the brightly colored flower beds, spears peppered the earth and blood stained the grass.

Spyro noticed and turned to nuzzle her slightly.

"Cynder, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Cynder replied regretfully. "I just feel so bad. This place was so beautiful. Untouched by war. And now look. We brought pain and suffering upon everyone here."

"It could not be helped," Magnitus reassured. "We could not remain a secret forever. Eventually we would have been found out. So do not worry your mind about such trivial matters."

"And, not to mention we kicked some furry wolf butt back there!" Sparx threw a couple of enthusiastic jabs in the air and Cynder chuckled slightly.

"He has a point Cynder." Spyro nodded. "We were able to save the city from being destroyed after all."

"Because you showed up when you did," Cynder pointed out.

_The dragons all watched as Spyro glided down to the ground from the uppermost level of the tower. The top of the spire had been completely obliterated and the debris had scattered throughout the mountain top. _

_Once he had reached the ground he trotted up to Cynder with a smile on his face. Cynder was awestruck and couldn't find any words to say to him. _

_"Spyro," she finally squeaked. "I... I..." She shook her head in disbelief at the silver dragon before her. Golden energy continued to radiate out from his body, casting a warm glow upon all the dragons. _

_"It's alright Cynder," Spyro spoke in a voice that seemed to almost instantly sooth the dragoness's nerves. "I'm here. Everything is going to be okay."_

_A smile spread across Cynder's mouth and tears of joy swelled up in her eyes. "Spyro!" She cried and threw buried her face into his shoulder. "You're back! You're finally back!"_

_Off to the side, Max watched with a forced smile. When Spyro glanced over at him, the raptor bobbed his head. Spyro smiled and returned the gesture before mouthing "thank you." Max exhaled deeply and turned back towards the city, leaving the others to their own devices. _

_"It's been a long time Spyro." Flame smiled as he walked up with Ember and a hobbling Ash trailing behind him. "It's good to have you back."_

_"It's good to be back." Spyro smiled as he draped a wing around Cynder's shoulders._

_The fire guardian turned to look at Tremor who stood alone in a pile of broken spears. "And I, for one, am glad you came back too Tremor."_

_Ember and Ash nodded in agreement along with Cynder and the other dragons. _

_"Wouldn't you agree Candice?" Ember turned to the ice dragoness who only gave a loud huff._

_"I guess we need him." She turned away and stuck her nose up. "So he can hang out with us until further notice." With that she walked off towards the pavilions leaving Tremor with a bitter sweet taste in his mouth._

_Spyro continued to look around the battle ground. Magnitus noticed his stare and leaned down towards Spyro. _

_"Do not worry Spyro." He nudged him reassuringly with his snout. "We can rebuild our homes with ease."_

_"That's not it," Spyro shook his head before turning his purple eyes to the elder dragon. "I just hate to have to leave when this place is in need of rebuilding."_

_"Spyro," Cynder started but stopped when he stared into her eyes and she saw the seriousness in them. _

_"We have to go. We have to confront Liun and stop Malefor."_

_"He's right Cynder," Flame agreed. "After everything that's happened, I think it's time we took the fight to that lowlife!"_

_"Yeah!" Tremor stamped an angry foot on the ground, shaking the mountain and rattling the dragons. "I think it's time for a little pay back. And what better way to deliver it than face to face and with Spyro's new power?"_

_"I'm all for that." Ember nodded. "All this madness has to stop and I say it stops now."_

_Spyro bobbed his head slightly before looking up to Magnitus. "If it's alright with you, may we stay an extra night or two before we head out?"_

_"Absolutely." Magnitus nodded. "It's the least we can do for you saving our home from those wretched beasts."_

Magnitus escorted Spyro and Cynder to the outer gardens. The remains of battle spread across the lawns that were peppered with burns from the fire dragons, and littered with abandoned weaponry.

As they neared the stairs Cynder looked up to see a group of dragons waiting for them. Among them were the other guardians. Flame and Ember stood tall as they bid the other dragons farewell. Stella and Candice stood next to each other saying their farewells. Candice did her best to hide her expression as she continually turned her back to Tremor who was trying his best to get her attention. Stella could only look on sadly between the two of them. Tremor looked to her for help but Stella had her paws busy as the dragons of Certrona repeatedly pulled her attention away to wish her well. The other elders, along with Exile, stood around keeping the younger dragons under control. Hunter sat beside the stairs, with Sparx buzzing noisily around his head. Despite the dragonfly's attempts the cheetah warrior remained his usual calm, self.

Max, who had been sitting alone, raised his head and his spines rose on end as Spyro and Cynder drew near. He and Cynder locked eyes and he rose to his feet.

"So you guys really are leaving," He muttered darkly.

"I'm sorry Max." Cynder nodded. "But we have a fight to finish."

"I know." Max nodded. "That's why I'm going too."

"What?" Spyro and Cynder gasped, catching the attention of the other dragons.

"Max, you can't be serious!" Cynder protested.

"Oh, I'm very serious Cynder." The raptor narrowed his eyes at her. "I've never left this place for as long as I remember. And now I have the chance to go out and do some good by doing so."

"Max, it's too dangerous." Spyro stepped forward, his purple scales shining in the sunlight. The brilliance of his glistening hide caused the raptor to wince from the blinding light. "This isn't your fight to begin with."

"Spyro, we've all been affected by Malefor in one way or another," Tremor pointed out, stepping forward and giving Max a supportive nudge with his shoulder. "And we could use all the help we can get."

Spyro's mouth became scrunched as he pondered what to do. He looked at Cynder who looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Please don't let him go," She thought to herself. Unbeknownst to her, Spyro heard her thoughts and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Plax and Zephyr.

"Well then if he gets to go then we do too," Plax announced. "It's not fair to let a fellow dragon go off on his own with no support."

"I would be inclined to agree." Zephyr nodded as he looked up at Magnitus and the other elders. "You all have taught us to look after one another especially in times of need."

"That we have young dragons." Magnitus nodded; proud that they had remembered the very first lesson he had ever taught them.

"Are you certain that you want to go through with this?" Tyrannica asked, stepping up beside Magnitus. "The guardians have warned you that it's dangerous."

"We understand," Zephyr, Plax and Max chimed in unison.

"Then I guess it's settled." Tremor nodded. "We've got more dragons to help rid the world of the Dark Master." A mumble of approval spread throughout the crowd. Spyro and Cynder looked at each other worriedly.

"Take care, young guardians." Magnitus and the other elders bowed. "We bid you safe passage on your trip back home.

"Remember what you've learned Spyro," Exile urged. "It's the key to saving this world."

"I will." Spyro nodded. He turned to the other guardians and headed towards the staircase. "Is everyone ready?"

"I'm more than ready." Flame ruffled his wings anxiously and Ember nodded with a subtle smirk.

"I'm good," Candice replied turning her back to avoid having to look at Tremor. The earth dragon sighed sadly.

"Tremor!" A bunch of tiny voices caught his attention. He turned in time to get bombarded by all the young hatchling dragons. He couldn't help but laugh as they smothered him with hugs.

"You'll come back and see us right?"

"Yeah! You have to teach us more moves!"

"Yeah!" The others agreed.

"Alright, alright." Tremor smiled as he rose up from under them, being gentle enough not to drop them. "As soon as this is all over I'll come back and visit you guys."

"You promise?" Vera demanded, jumping enough so that her little feet barely left the ground.

"I promise." Tremor nodded and rubbed her head. The little dragoness cooed happily and hugged his foreleg. Tremor felt a warmth deep inside his heart and he leaned down to nuzzle the little dragoness. Before he stood up, Vera gave him a loving lick on his cheek causing the green dragon to blush. "Now you kids be good and play nice together. You know what will happen if you don't."

"We know!" The hatchlings whined. "You won't teach us any moves."

"Good to know you kids learn fast." Tremor smiled. He turned around to see Candice smiling at him. A gaze of pure love and adoration glistened in her violet eyes. Tremor smiled back and mouthed "I love you". The ice guardian snapped out of her trance and turned with another huff; but this time Tremor wasn't phased. He followed after her as they made their way to the stairs.

"Wait!" The guardians all turned and Stella gasped when she saw Infernus hobbling down the stairs. He was bandaged with several large medicinal leaves from Singe's medical stash. The red dragon was hustling as much as he could but suddenly his wounded leg buckled beneath him.

"Infernus!" Stella bounded over to him as he struggled to pick himself up. "What are you doing here? You should be resting. You're nowhere close to being well enough to be up." She looked over his wounds before locking her eyes with his.

"I want to go with you," The young dragon groaned as the dragoness helped him to his feet.

"No. You're in no shape to fight and even worse to fly. No offense Infernus, but you'd only hinder us." She felt bad saying such a thing to him but she had to make sure he stayed here where she knew he'd be safe.

Infernus hung his head sadly. "I know you have to go," he started, "But I want to help."

"You can help Infernus." Stella raised his head with her tail spade and their gazes locked. "You can help me keep my mind at ease by staying here where it's safe."

Infernus wanted to argue but couldn't bring himself to disobey the dragoness. After a moment's pause he sighed and nodded. "Alright Stella. You win."

Stella smiled and placed a paw on the young dragon's cheek. Infernus's cheeks grew warmer and he growled happily as he stared into her golden-brown eyes. Stella was about to turn away when he spoke up again.

"Before you leave, I have something for you." He started to turn away, then added, "And this time it's not another flower."

Stella pulled his face back to hers and looked him in the eye again. "Save it." She smiled longingly at him. "Whatever it is, I'll be back for it. I promise." Infernus opened his mouth to speak but suddenly found the dragoness's lips pressed up to his. All around the other dragons gasped in surprise and the guardians all glanced from one another with smiles on their faces.

Infernus felt his heart leap for joy in his chest and the air temperature skyrocketed around him. His tail spade began to twitch excitedly and the numbness of ecstasy spread across his body.

At last Stella pulled away and turned to run back to the other guardians. They took the cue and spread their wings wide. Ember and Flame swooped down to grab Hunter and Sparx flew up along Spyro and Cynder.

"Goodbye Stella!" Infernus shouted as the lightning dragoness took to the air. "I'll be waiting for you!"

Stella somersaulted in the air and waved back before unleashing a bolt of lightning in the shape of a heart. Infernus sighed, content and filled with excitement for the day when he would see her again.

Spyro and the guardians shot through the thick dense fog of the mountain wastes. The current of wind that flowed down the side of the mountain propelled them along, allowing them to travel far with barely the flap of a wing.

"We should move quickly," Hunter advised over the rush of the wind. "I'm certain that Terrador and the other guardians are growing more worried by the minute."

"They're already in trouble," Spyro called back. "I saw them in a vision. The dragon city of Warfang has already been taken over."

"What!" Max gasped in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Hey, buddy," Sparx interrupted and came to buzz alongside the raptor dragon's boney cheek. "There's something you should learn about Spyro. When he says something is happening, or is going to, it usually does. So you may want to be prepared for what you see when we arrive."

"Oh?" Max glanced to Cynder who was looking back at him. The black dragoness wore an expression of deep distress and Max found himself growing a bit uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, behind them, Tremor flew up beside Candice.

"Hey, can I talk to you?" He asked sincerely. Candice gave him a look and beat her wings faster until she came up just behind Ember and Flame. Tremor watched her with a hurt expression.

"Hey you okay?" Ember asked as she looked back over her shoulder at the ice guardian

"Yeah," Flame raised a brow skeptically. "I thought you were glad Tremor was back."

"I am." Candice smirked. "I just want to make sure he's back for good and for the right reasons. Not just for me."

"That's understandable, I guess." Ember glanced back at Tremor as Plax and Zephyr flew up alongside him. "But don't you think you're being a bit harsh on him?"

"Perhaps," Candice shrugged. "But we need him and this fight isn't going to be easy. We're all going to have to dig down deep for this one."

"Okay, if you're sure." Ember glanced at Flame. "I wouldn't want anything to happen like what happened to Flame."

Candice shook her head. "I still love Tremor, but I'd never let it get that far, ever."

Back behind them Plax and Zephyr did their best to console the pride-wounded earth guardian.

"You going to be okay there?" Zephyr asked, letting the tip of his wing brush against Tremor's back.

"I'll be alright." Tremor chuckled. "I just have a feeling she's playing hard to get again."

Plax cringed slightly. "Is she always like this?"

"Not always," Tremor shook his head. "But I suppose I deserve it. I almost left her and everyone else for my own selfish reasons."

"You can't blame yourself," Zephyr reassured him. "We all have our moments of weakness. It's just natural."

"I guess." Tremor nodded before adding privately. "But it doesn't hurt any less."


	24. Chapter 24

The black dragon twitched in his sleep as he felt his energy grow in the darkness. It had been this way for days and weeks. He hated waiting but it was something that had to happen. If he was to gain the power he desired, he would have to wait.

_"Check this out!" Sara chirped and slammed her thick tail against the ground. A rock shot into the air and she slammed her tail against the side, sending the stone flying. The earth dragoness fired an earth bullet and scored a direct hit. The boulder exploded in a shower of glistening crystals across the ground._

_"Not bad," a fire breather named Charre nodded with an impressed grin. He and his friends had been showing off their new techniques they had learned from the Eastern City elders. "But Master Infernus taught me this one." He stepped forward and inhaled deeply. With a thunderous roar he spewed a raging stream of fire. The flames swirled and manifested into a dragon and then roared back down at the group of young dragons. The youngsters all shrank back from the intense heat but nodded their acknowledgement at the fire breather's skills._

_Charre didn't have long to enjoy the praises of his fellow dragons before a gust of cold wind blew across the meadow, dispersing his flames and chilling the dragons to the bone. _

_"Don't get too far ahead of yourself burn boy," Frose, a young ice dragon snickered and walked up between him and Sara. "Feast your eyes on this." Everyone stepped back as the icy energy swirled around the young male, engulfing him, nearly making him invisible in the current of sleet and snow. The wind picked up and the dragons all hid behind their wings. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the blizzard vanished. The dragons all poked their heads out from behind their cover to see Frose standing proudly before them. He walked over to Sara and draped a wing around her playfully. "A gift for you my dear." He extended his other wing towards the large ice statue of the earth dragoness. _

_"That's sweet." Sara raised a brow. "In a rather creepy sort of way."_

_Charre chuckled to himself as he walked around the frozen statue, inspecting it. "I gotta hand it to you buddy. You really paid a lot of attention to detail." He poked his head around one of the legs with a devilish grin. "The anatomy looks almost identical."_

_Frose blushed and a split second later, Sara slapped him upside the head before strutting off with her nose in the air. Frose watched her go and smiled at the way she deliberately swayed her hips and thick tail from side to side. Before she disappeared into the tress, she glanced back over her shoulder and flashed the ice dragon a wink. _

_Charre gave his day-dreaming friend a wake-up shove. "You seem to be making progress with her."_

_"Slowly but surely." Frose nodded._

_"Hey, mind if I join you guys?" The dragons all looked over to see a black dragon about their age coming across the meadow towards them. They all curled their lips in disgust._

_"Sorry Liun, we're just finishing up here," Charre said, turning his back on the black dragon. _

_Liun was a bit surprised by the fire breather's attitude but narrowed his eyes at him after a moment. "That's too bad for me. I was hoping to show you guys some of the moves the elders taught me recently."_

_"Who would we want to see you spit stuff out of your face?" Charre sneered. "Even if we did, you wouldn't impress us. Everyone knows you're the most inexperienced in the class and therefore the weakest."_

_Liun could feel his temper rising but bit his tongue anyways. "Well I still try and work just as hard as you guys, if not more so."_

_"Yeah, but what does it get you?" Charre shrugged and leered at the black dragon across the field. "You only get sympathy from the elders, not praise like the rest of us."_

_"That's not true!" Liun snapped, taking a step forward. "Master Infernus congratulated me on being able to summon my dark lightning just the other day!"_

_"After how long?" Charre scoffed. "The rest of us have been able to use breath attacks for some time now. So why are you taking forever and a day to catch up?"_

_"Charre, that's enough." Frose started but the fire breather silenced him with an extended wing. _

_"I don't know why the elders bother with you Liun. I, for one, think they're wasting their time on you." He raised his head and looked around his group of dragons. "We all know Master Infernus was most likely humoring you just to make you think that you could become something great."_

_"I will be great!" Liun snapped, tears starting to swell up in his eyes. "I can be just as good as any of you! Even better if I try hard enough!"_

_"That's a joke." Charre laughed out loud and several of the others joined in. "The only thing great you are is a great nuisance. I wouldn't be surprised if one day you turned out worse than Cynder."_

_A roar of anguish ripped through the air as Liun charged across the meadow and lunged for Charre. The fire breather laughed and side stepped Liun's claws as they swished past his face. The black dragon turned his furious eyes on him and lashed out again. Charre ducked and rammed Liun in the chest, knocking him back into the group of dragons who pushed him back into Charre. The fire dragon ducked his head and bucked Liun into the air. Liun's eyes widened as he plummeted back towards the ground. Charre smirked and bent his upper body down, kicking Liun in the ribs with his hind legs. The black dragon coughed and bounced across the ground. _

_"See, you can't even match up to me." Charre spat a tuft of fire next to Liun who stared at the flames with wide eyes filled with the shock of defeat. After getting his nerve he struggled to his feet and glared daggers at his opponent. Charre just shook his head. "Don't even try it, you wash out." Liun took a step forward and fell to the ground; his ribs felt like they were on fire. Charre laughed and turned back towards the city entrance, leaving Liun to lay where he was and weep into the late afternoon hours._

_Night fell across the land. Liun found himself trudging aimlessly across the plains and hills beyond the Eastern City. His tears had long since dried up upon his dirty cheeks and the wind did little to help the burning of his dried eyes. The night was pleasantly warm but Liun was too depressed to enjoy it like he normally would have. At last he came to a small hill and sat down beneath the apple tree at the top of it. He felt odd sitting there; like someone else was sitting there or had been. _

_He shook those thoughts out of his head and stared up at the starry sky. The weight of his heart seemed to anchor him deep into the earth. He had always tried hard and endured the teasing of the other dragons since he was little. But now that he was coming into his prime as a young male he was beginning to think that they had changed their minds about him now that he could use his breath attacks at will. _

_"Why me?" He shouted to the heavens. "Why am I the one who gets made fun of for trying the hardest? Huh? Tell me!" The black dragon's voice echoed across the hills and quickly died off. Liun shook his head and looked down at the ground. An image of Charre flashed in his mind and he bared his teeth furiously. "Maybe if they want I can become like Cynder. Then I'd show them what having power is." _

_All at once, the sky began to glow a brilliant purple hue. Liun looked up to see a shower of shooting stars shoot over his head, each rock glowing an even more vibrant purple against the night sky. As he watched them soar overhead, the temperature in the air began to rise. Liun turned back around and his eyes widened. _

_"Ok, that one looks really big," He thought to himself as the light grew brighter. After a second he realized what was about to hit and he jumped to his feet but collapsed onto his haunches, his sides burning from the earlier scuffle. The black dragon looked up to see the burning rock coming right for him. Liun took a deep breath and sprang into the air, ignoring the pain as he beat his wings hard._

_The falling star smashed into the hill, obliterating it and sending up a cloud of dirt and sending Liun tumbling uncontrollably through the air. _

_When the dust settled, Liun opened his eyes and coughed. Blood trickled from his nose and lips and he was left with a gash on his forehead. His side throbbed and the burning turned to a numbness. The black dragon moved to get to his feet and let out an agonized wail. He looked down to see two of his broken ribs, sticking out from under his skin. _

_He groaned and fought with all his might to stand. It took nearly an hour to get back on his feet and when he did, he braced himself, making sure he wouldn't topple over. Step by step, he moved towards the crater where the rock was still smoldering. The earth was scorched to a crisp and Liun found himself stepping more delicately than usual. _

_At last he came to the impact site. Down in the crater the smoke was disappearing to reveal a large, purple crystal. The stone was pulsing with energy and somehow Liun found himself captivated by it. The longer he stared into the light, the more he became entranced by it. _

_Slowly he started down the steep slope and into the epicenter of the site. The glowing intensified the closer he got to it._

_"Wow," Liun muttered in awe and suddenly a groan came from the crystal._

_"W-where am I?" Liun jumped away and cringed as another wave of pain swept through his body. Inside the crystal a cloud of dark magic appeared and a pair of drowsy, yellow eyes blinked themselves awake. Liun froze in terror as they fixated on him and narrowed. _

_"Wh-what are you?" Liun gasped nervously and swallowed hard._

_The eyes blinked curiously at the young dragon. "Do you not know a dragon when you see one? I am the purple dragon of legend." A subtle roar echoed at the end of the voice's statement. _

_"You don't look like a dragon," Liun said. "You look more like a rock to me."_

_The eyes narrowed and the pupils turned to slits but seemed to soften slightly as the being came to understand the situation. "I see. The ancients have sealed me again."_

_"Sealed you?" Liun stepped forward bravely. "You mean they trapped you in there? Forever?"_

_"Perhaps." The eyes seemed to nod and smile. "Though if I had a body to use then I would be one step closer to being freed."_

_"Um, I wish I could help you there." Liun shrugged. "But I don't know where your body is." The black dragon cocked his head to the side and stared inquisitively at the yellow eyes. "Say, how did you get trapped in there?"_

_"Allow me to show you." The eyes narrowed and flashed, blinding Liun in the process. All of a sudden he could see the world through the Dark Master's eyes. The training he had gone through, the battle he had lost that had sealed him away. His summoning of the apes to do his bidding and continue the war with the dragons. The attack on the dragon temple and the manipulation of Cynder and Spyro before the summoning of the golems and the destroyer. Then finally the last encounter with the purple dragon and black dragoness. When the events finished rushing through Liun's mind his eyes snapped open. _

_It was daybreak and Liun looked around in surprise. He had been out all night, yet no one had come to look for him. The black dragon stared at the purple crystal that now stood silently before him. _

_"Hello?" Liun called to the rock as he got to his feet. Much to his surprise he didn't ache any more. After looking himself over he found himself to have completely healed. Liun's brows jumped and he looked back at the crystal. "Is anyone there?" Still no answer. "Malefor?" The black dragon froze after saying that name. How had he known the being's name?_

_"It's simple," The voice replied and Liun jumped in surprise. "You and I are now one."_

_"What? Where are you?" Liun asked looking around. _

_"I'm inside your body young dragon." Malefor gave a slightly amused chuckle. "I needed a body and you were willing to trust me enough to let me reside within yours. Though much of me is broken and scattered about."_

_"I don't understand." Liun looked down at his feet. "How did you get inside me?"_

_"Young dragon, I am a spirit, capable of traveling freely from one body to the next. Though I would need a willing host to be able to survive."_

_"How was I willing to have you take up residence inside my body?" Liun demanded._

_Malefor only laughed. "Such a bold one you are. I am truly impressed. No one has ever spoken to me in such a way. But allow me to explain, Liun."_

_Liun's legs locked up. "How'd you know my name?"_

_Again the Dark Master laughed. "While you were busy watching my memories I took the time to sort though yours. And I must say that it is indeed fate that we have crossed paths my young dragon."_

_"Oh, really?" Liun tilted his head suspiciously. _

_"I know of your desire for power young dragon. And having been there once myself, I can show you the road to it."_

_"So what do you get out of it?" Liun demanded, not at all amused by the Dark Master's comments._

_"Ah, a sharp mind you are. Then let me put it plain and simple. Help me acquire a new body, and I will let you be the one to rule this world."_

_Liun pondered over the offer for a long time before speaking. "I tell you what. How about you use my body instead to rule the world. You're already here so you may as well stay. I don't want you backing out on our deal if you're telling the truth."_

_Malefor was silent for a moment. "You're even brighter than Cynder was at your age. I'm impressed."_

_A devilish smirk spread across Liun's mouth. "Why have two dragons rule when you can have both in one perfect form such as mine."_

_"I see your point." Malefor laughed, clearly humoring the dragon. "Then we will have much work to do before hand."_

_"I've got time." Liun snickered._

_"Then we must find my other parts," Malefor ordered. He took over Liun's consciousness and closed the young dragon's eyes. He felt his presence scattered across the lands. He sensed a being closing in to investigate and zeroed in on the source. He could see himself surrounded by broken trees and branches in the destroyed forest. All around, beady, yellow eyes glistened in the darkness. Slowly but surely the wolves emerged from the darkness and Malefor smiled subconsciously. "I have our first target." _

_"I can't help but wonder if we were a little harsh on Liun the other day." Frose muttered as Charre and the other dragons practiced their breath attacks out in the field beyond the cave entrance to the Eastern City. _

_"What are you thinking about that loser for?" Charre snorted, sending a puff of smoke from his nostrils._

_"Well, it's been nearly a week since we last saw him," Frose pointed out. "He hasn't shown up to the training sessions and no one else has seen him. Do you think he ran away?"_

_"If he did he's just as much of a baby as I thought." Charre snickered._

_"Then I can only imagine what that would make a weakling such as you." Every head turned to see Liun coming towards them from across the field. Charre narrowed his eyes as the black dragon strolled confidently up to them before stopping several yards away. _

_"What are you doing here Liun? Didn't I tell you not to bother us anymore? Or did you hit your head when I kicked your tail last time."_

_"Oh, that was pure luck." Liun snickered. "I let you win."_

_"Oh really?" Charre raised a brow. "I'd love to see you back those brave words up."_

_"Gladly." Liun smirked and lunged for Charre. Once again the fire breather side stepped and Liun swung at him with his claws again. Charre ducked and moved to ram Liun in the chest but this time Liun was ready for him. The black dragon struck the fire breather on top of his head with his paws before driving his knee into Charre's muzzle. The other dragons gasped in surprise as they saw the fire breather's head snap back, blood spilling from his nostrils._

_Liun waited patiently for Charre to get back on his feet. "Lucky blow," He spat irritatedly. _

_"Oh you think so, do you?" Liun's smirk spread and he charged again, slamming into Charre hard enough to break the fire breather's bones. Charre rolled across the hard ground and glared at Liun through blurry eyes. His friends could only look on in horror as Liun tossed him around like a limp carcass until finally growing tired of beating on the fire breather and hurling him into the air._

_"Charre!" Frose shouted as he watched Liun walk towards his friend who was crawling on his belly, trying to get away. The fire dragon's ribs were crushed, his wings broken as well as his hind legs and his body was decorated with deep cuts from Liun's claws._

_"You called me the weak one in the group," Liun growled as he placed a heavy paw down on Charre's back, holding him in place. "Now who's the one on the ground, trying to get away from the stronger one? It's not a very pleasant feeling, is it now?"_

_"Liun, I'm sorry," Charre wheezed as he looked back over his shoulder with tears in his eyes. "I did you wrong. I know that. But please, have mercy. Please forgive me."_

_Liun stared down at him for a long moment before smiling. "Well I'm glad you realize that I'm not as weak as you once said I am. And I suppose I should be forgiving considering our history together." Charre and the other dragons released a deep sigh of relief. "But forgiveness has never been a strong point of mine." Liun growled and narrowed his eyes down at a once again horrified Charre. "Maybe in the next life time."_

_Charre screamed as Liun bent down and gripped his neck in his jaws, the sound hurt their ears and with a quick jerk and a sickening snap, Liun silenced the fire breather once and for all. The others stood mortified and dumbstruck as their friend's body slumped to the ground in a bloody heap. Liun turned and smiled at the rest of them. _

_"Charre," Frose stammered in shock, trembling like a leaf in the wind. "You...you killed him...h-how could you Liun?"_

_The black dragon only smiled more. "Would you like to find out?"_

_Frose shook his head as tears began streaming down his cheeks. "You bastard! I'll kill you!" He opened his mouth to unleash a blast of ice when Liun spat a bolt of dark lightning, burning the inside of the ice dragon's mouth. As Frose writhed and twitched on the ground, the other dragons growled and turned their hate-filled eyes on Liun. The dark dragon only laughed as the shadows around his feet began to dance wildly._

_Sara walked briskly out of the dragon city and out to the mouth of the cave. The day was sunny and warm which immediately put the dragoness in a good mood. She hadn't been walking for long when she sniffed the air and crinkled her nose. _

_"What is that smell?" She hissed in disgust._

_Just then the bushes rustled ahead of her and she froze in her tracks. The noise grew louder and the dragoness prepared herself for a fight. Just as she was about to go on the attack, Frose stumbled out of the underbrush and fell to the ground before her._

_"Frose!" Sara exclaimed when she saw the ice dragon's savage injuries. She leaned down towards him to see the rim of his mouth burned almost completely black. Her heart nearly stopped and she immediately began to panic. "Frose, what happened? Who did this to you?"_

_The ice dragon only looked up at her, tears still streaming from his eyes. "R-r..." He mouthed, trying to speak out against the pain._

_"No, don't try and talk." Sara shook her head as she tried to nudge herself under Frose's chest. "I'll get you to the healer's first."_

_"N-no!" Frose gasped. "You... run!"_

_"Frose, I'm not leaving you!" Sara snapped and Frose jolted. He looked down and Sara gasped in horror at the blade that was sticking through his torso. Frose was yanked back and Liun wrenched his tail blade from the ice dragon's back, tearing off chunks of flesh as the body splattered against a tree. Frose's blood sprayed across Sara's face. The earth dragoness was horrified at what she had just seen. Liun only smiled and advanced towards her. Sara looked into his eyes, trembling in fear as he pushed up against her breast scales. _

_"Hey there gorgeous." Liun sneered. "How about a kiss for the best dragon in the world."_

_Sara shook her head and tears gushed from her eyes. "N....no... Frose...you..."_

_"No?" Liun raised a brow and tilted his head slightly. "Oh well. You know what that means. He glanced off to the side and nodded. Before Sara could turn her head a blade plunged into her back. Snarl smiled as he pulled the dead dragoness off his blade and tossed the body to his comrades who went about skinning the body. "Feel better?" Liun asked._

_"Much." Snarl nodded and looked to the wolves that were emerging from the trees. "Now! Attack!" The wolves howled and charged forward into the cave. As the sounds of dragon cries reached their ears, Liun paced up beside Snarl and gave him a stern look. "You know what to do. Don't harm the purple one when he shows up and see to it that your warriors get me delivered into the hands of the guardians. Understood?"_

_"Clearly." Snarl nodded before taking off after his pack mates. _

_"You think we can trust him?" Liun turned to see another black dragon walk up. Niner was clearly older than Liun but, according to Malefor, had no desire to be possessed. _

_"Not in the slightest." Liun shook his head. _

_"He will serve his purpose," Malefor growled, taking over Liun's mind._

_"I hope so," Niner muttered. _

_"You don't need to worry about that fleabag," Liun snapped as he turned to face the other dragon. "Your only concern is the purple dragon Spyro. If we're going to get our plan to work, we need him alive for the time being." Just then a screech came from inside the cave._

Liun jerked awake.

"You don't seem to be sleeping well," Malefor said. "Something troubling you?"

"No," Liun shook his head. "Not really." He glanced up at the crystals and shadows began to emanate from around his feet. The dark energy manifested and Malefor reared his massive head to inspect the crystals Liun was sleeping under. The wolves had gathered the remaining crystals that had scattered throughout the land which now surrounded the temple chamber they were in. Suspended in the middle of the room were a cluster of crystals, each resembling the dragon elder trapped within. The energy from the elder's crystals was flowing into the purple crystals and from there being directed into Liun who sat in the middle of the room.

"How much longer until we regain our full power?" Liun asked.

"Patience, young dragon," Malefor scolded. "We are close to achieving our goal of restoring the power of four elements into one dragon such as you. And with my crystals here we shall be unstoppable."

"I hope so." Liun nodded. "I wish it didn't take so long."

"Young dragon, patience is virtue even I had to bear. But never fear, we will regain what is rightfully ours. Those troublesome wolves may have cost us the powers of the purple dragon but thanks to you we know that we can absorb the powers of the guardians in a similar fashion." Liun reflected on Spyro's rescue at munitions Forge when he saw Tremor being affected by the earth draining crystal. "The purple may be stronger than all the elders combined but we will have not only all their combined powers but also their knowledge and wisdom."

"I'm not interested in wisdom," Liun muttered. "I just want to have the power and be able to use it how I see fit." No sooner had the black dragon spoken than the elder's crystals began to glow along with the dragon bodies trapped inside.

"It appears that their life forces are reaching their limit." Malefor sneered gleefully. "It won't be long now." He sat Liun down and stared down the long hall towards the outside of the temple.

"And then I'll have my revenge on the world." Liun curled his lip and black flames licked at the rims of his mouth. He reached up to his face and felt the burn scars across his features. "I will make everyone pay dearly for what they've done."


	25. Chapter 25

"Wow," Plax swallowed hard as he stared across the landscape at the dragon city of Warfang. "That city is huge." Then he looked over at Zephyr with a grin. "Like your mom." Zephyr scowled and elbowed him. Plax yelped when the black dragon's elbow barbs pricked his side.

"Hey, knock it off you two!" Max snapped, instantly silencing the two males. "Stay focused." He turned back to stare at the dragon city and still found himself awestruck at the sheer size of it from a distance. Warfang was easily twenty times larger than Certrona.

Hunter and the guardians all scanned the city, searching for any sign of movement. Fires continued to burn throughout the city, indicating that invaders had taken up residence within its walls. Hunter tightened his grip on his bow and shook his head sadly.

"It seems Malefor took the chance to strike just after my people left."

"I wonder what happened to the other refugees," Cynder pondered aloud and looked at Spyro.

Spyro let out a long sigh but kept his stare fixated on dragon city in the distance. "We'll have to worry about them later. For now we should focus on Malefor and Liun."

"I agree." Flame nodded, walking up beside the purple dragon. "It wouldn't do any good if we found them only to get attacked again."

"So what are we waiting around for then?" Tremor asked. "The longer we wait, the more time Liun has to create more trouble for us."

Spyro smiled at his green friend. "Alright, Tremor. You lead the way since you seem so eager to fight."

"Oh, I see how it is." Sparx pouted. "Following him is a good idea but me it's not. That's fair."

"Sparx, now isn't the time." Cynder pointed out.

"So, what else is new?" The dragonfly crossed his arms and sat down on her shoulder. "Let's get this over with."

Tremor slipped into the woods, and the other guardians followed close behind. The young earth dragon stepped delicately, feeling every vibration in the earth beneath his feet.

"Tremor, slow down!" Candice hissed. "You're moving too quickly. There may be sentries lurking about!"

"We're fine Candice." Spyro whispered before Tremor could speak.

"Yeah," Tremor nodded. "The woods feel clear of any enemies."

"Are any of our allies in the surrounding area?" Hunter asked looking about, his green eyes almost glowing in the darkness of the woods.

"Hm," Tremor closed his eyes and concentrated. "I don't sense anyone close by. But the whole area is honeycombed with tunnels."

"The manweersmalls," Spyro muttered, remembering the vision from weeks before. He began to spread his mind out over the land, searching for any sign of the city's inhabitants. When he found none he opened his eyes and looked up at Hunter. "They seem to be out of the range of the dragon city. I don't sense any of them anywhere."

"Then we shall be thankful for their relative safety." Hunter drew his bow and readied his arrows. The warriors slipped through the trees until they were at the edge of the forest. Crouching low in the bushes, they scanned the high outer walls of the city.

"How did the wolves get into the city?" Plax asked skeptically.

"Probably the same way they got into yours." Tremor whispered. "They climbed the wall."

"That's a very high wall to climb." Zephyr muttered craning his head back at the wall of stone. The catapults were destroyed along its rim and the stones were stained with blood and abandoned pieces of armor were scattered about.

"So what now?" Ember asked, looking about for a way in.

"Should we blast our way in?" Tremor thrust his head forward as if he were thinking about ramming the wall.

"This plan requires stealth and cunning pebble-brain," Candice hissed. "Not showing how much damage you can do to our home in one sitting."

"But Tremor may have a point," Stella replied. "For all we know, Liun could be expecting us. So being sneaky about it may just be a waste of time and energy."

"Spyro," Hunter knelt down beside the young dragon and pointed to the temple towards the top of the city. "Can you sense what has become of the guardians?"

"I can try." Spyro closed his eyes and went into his meditative state. He let his body go numb with the energy of the world around him. It felt rather uncomfortable with the large amounts of negative energy in the air. Just in his little group he could feel the uneasiness of his friends; especially from Candice in particular. Spyro began to zero in on the city itself. The entire dragon city was crawling with wolves. As Spyro narrowed his mind towards the upper levels of the city, he sensed a surge of dark magic. Just when he had gotten to the upper tower where the temple resided he felt a surge of evil energy. From inside the temple he could see the multi-colored glow of crystals within. A roar came from deep inside the temple and a shock wave struck Spyro, sending him back into his body.

"Spyro!" Cynder gasped when she saw him collapse to the ground. "Spyro, are you alright?"

Spyro's eyes opened wide. "We have to attack! Now!"

"Wait, what?" Flame shook his head, unsure of what his friend was saying. Before the others could speak, a loud roar erupted from Tremor's throat as he fired an earth missile across the field and blew a large hole in the outer wall.

Wolves began barking in alarm as the ground shook and slabs of stone crushed any that were too slow to get out of the way. The dust began to settle and was replaced with a cloud of black fire. The wolves grabbed their weapons and leveled their spears at the hole in the outer wall. The dark flames continued to spread out from the wall and suddenly there was a feral shriek as Max sprang out of the shadows and landed on a pair of the wolves, driving his killing claws into their throats. The others turned on him and thrust their spears towards him. The raptor sprang forward and shrouded himself in shadow fire, disappearing from view.

"After him!" One of the wolves barked as the shadow zipped away, deeper into the city. A split second later a blast of electricity burst from the shadows surrounding the hole in the wall. The nearest wolves were downed and Stella charged through the shadows with Cynder and the others close behind.

"We have to get to the temple!" Spyro shouted.

"Go!" Hunter growled as he put three arrows through the throats of a group of surprised canines. "We'll catch up to you as soon as we take care of these pests."

"Right!" Flame rushed towards the main stairway that led to the upper levels of the city. "Spyro, come on!"

"I'm coming!" Spyro called but paused to glance over his shoulder. Across the courtyard, Cynder shrieked, causing the wolves to cower from the harsh noise of her voice. She sensed Spyro's eyes on her and whirled around, sending a gust of wind across the stone tiles. The wolves were blown across the courtyard and slammed against the far wall.

"I'll clear a path!" She hollered and ran past Spyro towards a throng of mutant wolves coming down the stairs. With an angry roar, Cynder's eyes flashed red and the wolves froze in their tracks. Their eyes rose as the young dragoness transformed before their eyes into the towering beast she had become so well known to be. The dragoness hissed black fire and struck with her long eagle-like talons, sending bodies and weapons flying off the stairwell. "Follow me!" She called. "And stay close!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Sparx swallowed hard and zipped off after his friends.

"What's going on down there?" Liun asked when the earth missile shook the city.

"It would seem that the young guardians are still alive after all." Malefor growled.

"Should I go take care of them?" Liun asked, turning towards the platform at the edge of the temple.

"No!" Malefor snapped. "Let the wolves take care of them. We have our own priorities right now."

Liun's mouth twisted as he pondered for a moment. At last he reluctantly turned back towards the cluster of crystals in the middle of the room. "Well, let's get started."

"Master!" Scraunch huffed as he leaped over the edge of the platform of the temple. "The city is being attacked by the guardians. What are your orders?"

Liun's eyes narrowed at the wolf. "Hold them off as long as you can. I want the honor of killing the guardians myself."

"As you wish." The Alpha bowed respectfully. He raised his head and turned back towards the platform but stopped when another wolf staggered to the top of the steps. "Tuerto." Scraunch growled and pinned his ears back. "How dare you show your face here."

"I am sorry, Pack Leader," The red wolf wheezed. He was clutching at his broken ribs and his right arm was shattered. Blood stained his rust-colored fur and his left eye was swollen shut. "But the guardians... we almost had them... but they forced us back... they have a warrior who single handedly defeated most of our troops just as we were about to overrun the city."

"I see." Scraunch scratched his chin thoughtfully. "It must be the purple dragon."

"No," Tuerto shook his head. "It wasn't the purple dragon. He was nowhere to be seen. This single dragon was one of the guardians. He possesses a great power. Far stronger than the northern pack's Alpha, Snarl."

"Interesting." Scraunch glanced back over his shoulder at Liun who was listening with great interest. Then in a flash he turned back around and rammed his blade through Tuerto's gut. The red wolf coughed once and his eyes widened in shock as blood splattered onto the platform. "But as I told you before, failure will not be tolerated."

"F-orgive me Pack Leader..." Tuerto wheezed as the strength in his body spilled out onto the stone floor.

Scraunch pulled his blade out and Tuerto fell to his knees. "I forgive you, brother." He rested a hand on his fellow warrior's head. "Now be at rest and join those who have failed in the past." He shoved the dying wolf to the side and stalked towards the edge of the platform. "I have dragons to kill." Without so much as a second glance he descended the steps towards the battle below.

Liun watched him leave before turning back towards the crystals. "Let's do this," He muttered and the crystals began to glow even brighter.

"Behind you!" Zephyr cried and fired an earth bullet into the chest of a wolf rearing up to impale Plax with a spear. The teal dragon ducked and glanced at the mutant with wide eyes. He turned back in time to see another mutant with half his face smashed in from one of Zephyr's earlier attacks rise to his feet.

"Move!" He shouted and rammed Zephyr out of the way as the wolf swung his blade. Zephyr saw Plax yank his head back before falling to the ground. His heart nearly stopped when he saw his friend fall.

"Plax! No!" He fired a massive ball of earth and scored a hit dead on in the side of the mutant wolf's face, turning it to mush. The black earth dragon rushed to his friend's side to see him still alive. Plax clutched at his face, his paws red with blood. "Plax, how bad is it?" Zephyr asked worriedly.

"It's just a scratch." Plax waved him off, removing his paw to show a nasty slash across his nose, exposing the bone and just barely missing his eyes. "I can still fight."

A sudden roar grabbed their attention and they whirled around to see another mutant wolf get punctured with a shower of ice spikes. The canine was pinned to the wall and trying to free himself when Candice put another frozen spear through its head.

"Keep alert, you two! These ones are not pushovers like the others you've faced!"

"Yes ma'am!" The males nodded before turning back to their battle.

Candice whirled around and struck another wolf across the face with her tail blade, gouging its eyes in the process. The beast howled and staggered back, letting his pack mates surge forward. Candice spread her wings and with a mighty flap sent a blizzard of stinging icicles into the flesh of her attackers. The wolves collapsed as another mutant barreled through. It caught Candice off guard and struck her with a massive fist. The ice dragoness slammed into a tree in the courtyard and slumped to the ground. The mutated wolf sprang into the air, ready to crush the dragoness beneath his feet.

"Oh, no you don't!" Tremor jumped in front of his dragoness and covered them in a shell of dense earth. The wolf's feet struck the barrier and Tremor smiled. Spikes shot out of his ball of earth and punctured the mutant's feet. The monster howled and fell onto his back. Tremor slammed his paw into the ground cracking open a large fissure and swallowing the wolf up along with several of his pack mates.

Candice opened her eyes and shook the stars from her head as Tremor knocked the barrier away into a cluster of wolves closing in on Zephyr and Plax. She looked up at him and her mouth hung open slightly.

"Are you alright?" Tremor asked plainly.

Candice couldn't help but crack a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded and gazed at him almost flirtatiously with her brilliant amethyst eyes. "Thank you."

"Good, I'm glad." Tremor smirked. "I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

"I know," Candice muttered. "I'm glad to have you back, but don't think this means that I'm not still mad at you."

"I figured as much." Tremor nodded. He felt the vibration of footsteps coming towards them and slammed a hind leg down, catapulting several wolves into the air. "I just want you to know I'm here for good." Before Candice could say another word Tremor turned and charged back into the fray leaving the dragoness somewhat speechless. "Come on!" Tremor shouted to the other dragons. "We have to get back to Spyro and the others! We need to be able to give them our support!"

"Right!" The earth guardian spread his wings and flew over to Stella who had followed his lead and took hold of Hunter. They lifted the cheetah warrior into the air and beat their wings hard towards the main staircase. Zephyr, Plax and Candice took to the air leaving the massing wolves to bark and snarl as they took pursuit.

Max slipped through the shadows of the city, leading the initial group of wolves away from the others. The mutants were fast but the raptor was faster. Rather than being forced to run on all fours like most dragons, his mutation allowed him to run on his powerful muscular hind legs at speeds greater than any other dragon on all fours.

The raptor dragon sprang up onto the roof of an adobe cottage as the pursuing mutants swung their blades at him. When their attacks missed they sprang into the air after him, clawing at the sides of the wall and drooling with extreme lust for blood. Max stepped back and turned to run again but skidded to a halt. Climbing up behind him were even more wolves carrying spears, already leveled at his chest. The black dragon hissed menacingly and his green eyes began to glow. His pupils turned to cat-like slits and he let out an angry snarl. The wolves paused for a moment which gave him the chance he needed. Max jumped straight up and beat his wings hard sending up dust into the wolves' eyes. The canines snarled at the stinging wind and Max inhaled deeply. With a low groan of a roar he exhaled a cloud of neon green venom gas. The cloud descended with shocking speed and the mutants screamed in pain as their skin and fur was melted away by the acidic cloud.

Nearby, another horde of mutant wolves witnessed the fate of their comrades and stopped what they were doing. The canines glanced between themselves, unsure of what they should do. Max turned his feral eyes on them and his spines stood on end. He locked eyes with the mutants and screeched. The wolves jumped in fright and turned to flee. Max nearly laughed as he became shrouded in shadow fire before merging into the shadows of the city. The wolves had not gone ten yards when a black cloud in the shape of the raptor dragon burst up in front of them. Max's eyes were glowing deadly green and his neon energy could be seen building at the back of his throat.

The wolves scattered. Max looked around for a split second before ducking into the shadows again. His shadows spread after them, searching for the nearest target. The nearest wolf felt something burning wrap around his leg, yanking him back towards a stone wall that was shrouded in black shadow. The terrified wolf yelped as it was dragged into the darkness and silenced with a sickening crunch.

The next wolf rounded the corner only to run into a cloud of darkness without so much as a cry. Another wolf passed an alleyway and was yanked back into it. Two more were pulled into the ground and another had its head removed after quickly ducking past an outstretched shadow. It took only a matter of minutes before all the wolves in the surrounding area were dead and gone.

Max emerged from the shadows and the black fire vanished. The black raptor licked his bloody lips and sighed with satisfaction. His heart was racing and his blood was boiling with excitement. He looked around where he was and heard nothing else moving. He clawed his way to the top of the nearest wall and looked around. He could see large pillars of earth shooting up along the main staircase to that led towards the upper levels of the city. It was Zephyr firing earth bullets at the wolves clambering up the stairs after him and the other guardians. The black dragon's gaze drifted towards the upper levels of the city where he could see Cynder, Spyro, Flame and Ember battling their way past wave after wave of wolves. Cynder was making quick work of the mutated canines, knocking them off with sweeps of her long talons. Flame and Ember brought up the rear, breathing fire to create a barrier between them and the wolves that flooded in from the sides of the staircase.

Max narrowed his eyes at the bloodthirsty canines and took to the air once again. Cynder was doing her best to keep up with the mutant wolves' speed but she was quickly beginning to tire. At the top of the stairs was the lower temple and training hall. Cynder barreled into the wolves, thrusting her long horns about, catching several wolves on their hooked ends. Inside was a long corridor leading across the city to the other side where the next flight of stairs would take them to the main temple at the top of the city.

"Cynder, switch back!" Spyro ordered. "You won't be able to fight at your best in that form here!"

"Alright," Cynder acknowledged and began transforming back to normal. She was almost done when a group of mutant wolves dropped from the ceiling with wild howls.

"Look out!" Flame shouted and shoved Ember out of the way. Cynder's eyes flashed red again and she let out a sonic shriek, shattering the wolves' ear drums and breaking the ceiling over their heads. The dragons scattered as the slabs of ceiling crashed to the ground. Cynder rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being crushed to death. The black dragoness coughed hard as the dust filled her lungs. She raised her head to look back down the corridor and her eyes grew wide as the hall became filled with wolves. The canines licked their chops excitedly, eager to get their first kill of the day. Cynder hissed and rose to her feet. A moment later a cloud of venom filled the hall, disintegrating the wolves. Cynder tilted her head curiously as the cloud drew closer. With a strong breath of wind she blew the acidic cloud away. Standing at the end of the hall with a big grin was Max the dragon.

"Max, it's you! You're okay!" Cynder exclaimed and bounded over to him. Max lurched across the hall towards her, his grin spreading wider with glee. Just then his eyes picked up movement on the ceiling. The pair of wolves dropped down and the black dragon lurched forward.

"Cynder, look out!" He roared and sprang into the air. Cynder turned her head and froze as the wolves bore down on her. Max raked his killing claws across down the front of the first wolf and hit the ground with a disgusting thud. Cynder struck the second wolf with her tail before using her wind to blow the wolf off the side of the railing. She turned back around and her mouth fell open. Max lay on his side with the end of a spear sticking out of his stomach. The raptor was gasping heavily, his lungs struggling for air.

"Max!" Cynder cried, trembling in shock at seeing her friend impaled like a wild animal.

"H-hey...Cynder." Max wheezed and cringed as a wave of pain swept over him. "You're not hurt are you?"

"Why Max?" Cynder shook her head. "Why did you do it? Why?"

A gentle smile spread across the dragon's long muzzle. "Because... no one is allowed to hurt a dragoness I care about."

"But how can you say that?" Cynder wept silently over the heaving mass of black scales. "You don't even know me that well."

"That's true," Max groaned as he lifted his head but his strength was fading quickly. "But... I'd willingly throw myself in front of any danger for you... because I fell in love with you the first time I laid eyes on you."

Cynder emitted a startled squeak and her mouth fell open. "Max, I... I don't know what to say... I love Spyro. So why would you want to tell me this?"

"Because life is precious." Max replied weakly. "I don't want to leave this world regretting anything."

"Cynder!" Spyro's muffled voice came from the pile of ceiling debris. The black dragoness shielded Max with her own body as the rubble was blown away by Zephyr's earth missile. When the dust settled the dragons mouths fell open.

"Max!" Plax and Zephyr exclaimed and bounded over to him. They were quickly followed by Stella, Hunter and Candice who created a wall of ice, blocking off any more wolves from taking them from behind.

"H-hey." Max tried to chuckle. "What's up?"

"Not you, that's for damned sure." Plax cringed when he saw the spear lodged in his friend's side.

Max's eyes seemed to smile at them before turning back to Cynder.

"Don't forget me, Cynder."

"How could I?" Cynder sobbed. "You've been a great friend to me."

Those words seemed to put the raptor at ease as he began to relax. Spyro walked up with a deeply saddened look on his face. Seeing Max like this filled him with such deep regret he couldn't bear to look at him any more.

"Hey Spyro," Max grabbed his attention with a rough cough. Spyro turned around and his eyes locked with Max's. "I don't have any regrets and neither should you. You have great friends and a wonderful dragoness to stand by your side." He looked over at Cynder then back to Spyro. "I envy you for that, but it's also one of the reasons I respect you the most. Just do me one favor."

"Anything." Spyro nodded resting a paw on the raptor dragon's shoulder.

"When you guys remember me, forget the wrongs I may have done. Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed. And when you're feeling empty, keep me in your memories. And just leave out all the rest."

Spyro squeezed his eyes shut tight, letting his tears fall. Behind him Tremor and Candice walked up. Max smiled at the earth dragon and gave a friendly curl of his lip. "I guess we'll have to postpone that sparring rematch, huh?"

Tremor's mouth twisted up as he pondered what to say or do. He turned to Candice and whispered something in her ear. The dragoness looked at him then to Plax and Zephyr.

"Alright, stand aside." She ordered as a shrill howl echoed throughout the city. Everyone moved away from Max as Candice walked up and took a deep breath. She released a cloud of ice across the raptor's body, covering him in a thin yet dense coat of ice. When she was done she turned back to Plax and Zephyr. "Get him out of here. He shouldn't have to die in a place like this."

"What are we supposed to do?" Zephyr asked; his eyes wet with tears.

"Take him home," Tremor replied solemnly. "Where it's peaceful and he may have a chance."

"A chance?" Plax shook his head. "What chance could he..."

"We'll do it." Zephyr nodded. Plax gave the black earth dragon an astonished look.

"Good luck then." Candice placed a comforting, supportive paw on Zephyr's shoulder. "He's counting on you."

"I know." Zephyr nodded and turned to his friend whose eyes were still fixated on the black raptor in the ice. "Come on Plax. We have to go."

"Hurry," Stella warned as she glanced back over her shoulder at Candice's wall of ice. The wolves were pressing up against the wall, banging their weapons against the dense ice.

Zephyr and Plax did their best to grab up Max's frozen body before spreading their wings. Tremor knocked away the railing with a swish of his tail allowing them to take off easier.

"May the ancestors watch over you!" Flame shouted after them as they flew off across the city.

Another howl interrupted the moment and the dragons jumped.

"Spyro, we need to get to the main temple!" Ember exclaimed.

"Go on!" Hunter ordered. "We shall hold them off as long as we can."

"But hurry!" Stella pleaded.

"R-right!" Spyro nodded and headed for the hallway exit and dashed up the stairs. The ice at the opposite end was beginning to crack. Hunter raised his bow and took aim at the darkest shadow on the opposite side.

"Hold it," Tremor stopped him with an extended wing. "Hunter, you, Candice and Stella fall back to the base of the stairs. I'll go on ahead and try to push them back. If Spyro is going to be facing Liun and the Dark Master, we need to buy him some time."

"Very well." Hunter nodded and took a few retreating steps backward. "Be careful though. We are at a disadvantage here."

"I personally like these odds." Tremor smirked. "But thank you for the concern." The earth guardian turned towards the wall of ice as Hunter and Stella fell back to the base of the stairs. When Candice took up position beside him he gave her a surprised look.

The ice dragoness gave him a half smile. "I'm still mad at you," She stated with an almost inaudible giggle.

Tremor smiled. "I know." Both dragons began to glow with energy. "You ready Candy?"

"Always!"

Tremor roared and fired an earth bullet into the wall. The ice shattered and crumbled onto the stairs, crushing wolves and knocking others off, sending them plummeting to their deaths below. Those lucky enough to avoid being crushed started to climb over the slabs of ice. Candice breathed a cloud of ice, freezing them in place. Tremor rolled forward, slamming his clubbed tail across the floor causing the stone stairs to shoot out like missiles, shattering the wolves where they stood. The earth dragon shrouded himself in stone and rumbled down the staircase. The wolves panicked when they saw the massive boulder thundering towards them at immense speed. The ones that tried to fight were crushed alongside the ones unable to get away. Others dove off the side of the stairs only to realize that the ground was hundreds of feet below.

Tremor cleared out the whole staircase and burst free from his protective shell. He had ground the stairs to a smooth marble finish. Candice came sliding down the ramp on a path of ice, freezing over what was left of the stone staircase as she went. When she neared the bottom, she projected her energy up ahead and froze over the courtyard at the bottom of the stairs. The wolves yelped in surprise when their feet froze over. Candice covered herself in snow and compressed the ball into a dense ice boulder. Tremor cringed when he saw her slam into the wolves with crushing speed.

"You know that actually looks like fun." He laughed when his dragoness emerged from the ice.

Candice blushed. "I learned from you, pebble-brain."

Scraunch watched as the two dragons continued to battle his warriors with a look of shock spread across his face. His eyes narrowed in on Tremor as the earth dragon proceeded to crush his pack mates beneath his might. "It was you." He growled angrily and his grip tightened around his spear. "It seems that the report about you wasn't far from the truth." He pinned his ears back and leaped off the balcony he was on, dashing towards the guardians below.

A chill ran down Spyro's back and he paused on the stairs.

"Spyro, what's wrong?" Ember asked causing Cynder and Flame to look back at him with worried expressions.

"Don't worry about me, have to keep going!" Spyro groaned. The weight in the pit of his stomach was growing heavier the closer they got to the top of the stairs.

When they reached the upper platform, the dragons stopped in heir tracks. The temple was so dark that light seemed to vanish completely.

"Something feels very wrong here." Ember shuddered and moved closer to Flame. The dragons moved forward carefully. Tuerto's body lay in a bloody heap before them. Ember moved closer to her mate as they stepped around him, just in case he should decide to get up.

"Stay close to me," Spyro muttered as they entered into the temple. For a long time the dragons could see nothing but darkness.

"Spyro," Sparx whispered. "I feel like we're walking into a trap."

"Well we can't turn back now," Flame replied before his friend.

"Flame's right." Spyro nodded. "We have to stop Malefor and Liun, here and now."

"Ah, so you have survived after all." A familiar growl echoed through the darkness.

"Malefor!" Spyro growled and pinned his wings back.

"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten about me already Spyro," Liun's voice snarled. "After all you've done to me, you have the nerve to forget that I even exist?"

"We've all been trying to forget!" Sparx spat. Flame snorted loudly in agreement and a tuft of flame that lit up the darkness for a brief moment.

"Oh, is that Flame I hear?" Liun laughed. "I'm actually glad to know you're here. I have a surprise for you."

"What have you done with Terrador and the others?" Ember demanded, clearly getting worked up over the dark dragon's taunting.

"Come find out if you have the guts." Liun laughed. All of a sudden the temple torches were lit with black fire casting the walls in an ominous evil glow.

"Come on!" Flame charged forward with Ember close behind.

"Wait for us!" Cynder called. The guardians ran down the corridor to the main chamber and froze in the darkness.

"Where are you, Liun!?" Flame bellowed. "Show yourself!"

There was no response from the black dragon. The room suddenly became illuminated as the purple crystals lining the walls began to glimmer.

"What's going on?" Ember whimpered, backing into Flame. The four dragons looked around to find themselves surrounded by the purple crystals.

"Isn't it obvious?" Liun suddenly appeared out of the darkness. His body was glowing with convexity and his eyes seemed to light up the rest of the room. "I've waited for months and suffered at the hands of you guardians the entire time. But I'm finally going to have what should be mine. The power to rule over this world and everyone in it!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Flame snarled and lunged for him.

"Flame, wait!" Spyro shouted.

A superior smirk spread across Liun's face. Flame felt a crushing force in his chest as Liun rammed him with his horns, knocking him to the ground. Before he could get up Liun pinned him with a heavy paw.

"Flame!" Ember cried and was about to go on the attack when Liun halted her.

"Ah ah ah," He scolded and leveled his broad-head tail blade at Flame's throat. "You don't want to attack me and have me slip do you?"

Ember glanced from her dazed mate to the dark dragon looming over him with his wicked eyes fixed on her. Ember felt a cold fear grip her heart but then Spyro brushed against her side.

"Let him go, Liun. Your fight is with me."

"My fight is with all of you." Liun growled. "I won't forgive you for what you did you my face." Spyro noticed the savage burns that spread from the black dragon's right cheek down to his hind leg. "But we'll get to that in a little bit." He looked up with a devious smile. "But before we do I should probably let you finish with your goodbyes." The guardians raised their heads and their mouths fell open.

"By the ancestors," Ember gasped.

Cynder shook her head in disbelief. "Spyro... it's...."

"The guardians." The purple dragon felt his heart sink. High above in the chamber floated the crystals which held the guardians and eastern city elders prisoner. Flame managed to turn his gaze to the ceiling and his heart froze when he saw the bright orange crystal pulsing rapidly.

"G-Grandpa!"

"Flame..." Infernus wheezed inside the crystal. His lungs almost unable to produce any sound at all.

"What are you doing to them?" Cynder shouted furiously, her eyes glowing with red energy as she began to transform again.

"If I am to be denied the power of the purple dragon, I might as well have the next best thing!" Liun proclaimed. "I will have the power and knowledge of the elders and guardians of this world for myself!"

The crystals began to pulse faster as the elder dragon's power continued to drain.

"Stop it!" Spyro roared. "Stop it right now!"

"Spyro!" Flame cried. "Help them! Save my grandpa!" He tried to shove Liun off but the black dragon's power was growing stronger by the second.

Spyro charged forward and Liun struck him with his tail blade. Spyro crashed against the far wall, leaving an impact mark in the hard stone.

High above, the elder dragons began to moan as their life force continued to drain out of them.

"Do not... give up... hope!" Terrador gasped.

"It's... your time... to shine!" Cyril cried as his body continued to wither away.

"You are... the new age of protectors... for... our world." Volteer coughed. "Do... us proud!" The elders gave a final roar of defiance before the crystals shattered.

"Grandpa!" Flame screamed as he saw the guardians and the elders from his home disintegrate into tiny orbs of light only to be absorbed by the purple crystals. The crystals blazed with brilliant energy that blinded the guardians. Flame felt the pressure on his neck release as Liun hovered in the air above him. Ember rushed over to her mate and helped him to his feet.

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Grandpa." Flame sobbed. "My grandpa's gone! He took my grandpa!"

"Flame, Ember! Get away from him!" Cynder cried as she helped Spyro to his feet. The purple dragon was still dazed and his vision was blurred.

Liun and Malefor's evil laugh echoed throughout the temple. The crystals melted into orbs of convexity and merged with Liun's body. Malefor's subconscious took over and his maniacal laugh thundered in the heads of the guardians.

"I live!" He roared in triumph as Liun's body began to change. "My might can not be paralleled!" The black dragon beat his wings once and sent out a shock wave of convexity coursing through the city. The wolves and dragons screamed in fright before their eyes were overtaken by the Dark Master's blinding energy. The last thing the guardians heard was a tectonic-shaking explosion and then the silence of dark was all that remained.


	26. Chapter 26

Liun trotted proudly out onto the edge of the temple platform. He took in a deep breath with his new lungs and sighed, letting a stream of fire burn the air. The temple had been destroyed from the sudden release of his new powers but keeping the dragon city intact was the last thing on his mind right now.

"I think I may have overdone it a bit with that one." He laughed as he inspected his new body. His muscles had expanded and his overall size had increased as well. Bladed horns protruded from his shoulders and lined his forelegs and hindquarters. The horns on his face raked back and lined his head with a protective shield of spikes. His black scales were lined with brilliant patches of violet which streaked along his sides. His chest scales had gone from dark grey to grey-violet. His yellow eyes shimmered with satisfaction and he nodded approvingly. "I have to admit, I like this new look."

"I'm glad you do." Malefor laughed evilly. "As you can see I keep my promises for those who are loyal to me."

"I never doubted you for a second." Liun growled and a spark of electricity shot from his mouth. He jumped in surprise but smiled with delight. "So this is what it's like to be the purple dragon." He reared his head back and fired a bolt of lightning into the dark sky.

The young dragon took in another deep breath and blew black fire from his nostrils. He turned his head at the sound of claws clacking against the stone stairs. Scraunch climbed to the platform and knelt down respectfully in front of the newly revived Dark Master.

"You have done well, Pack Leader." Malefor growled with satisfaction.

"Thank you Master." Scraunch bobbed his head showing his gratitude. "I am thankful that my warriors were able to stay the guardians long enough for you to achieve your goal."

"Indeed." Malefor's eyes narrowed at the Alpha. He wanted something; that much was apparent to the dark dragon. "What have you come to see me about?"

"About earlier," Scraunch replied, lifting his head. "My subordinate mentioned that a particularly strong dragon amongst the guardians had managed to force our troops back from wherever they found the guardians to be hiding."

"Go on," Malefor coaxed, sitting back on his haunches to listen with moderate interest.

"I had the opportunity to witness this dragon for myself during the attack. And I was hoping you would permit me to go out and track this one down in particular. After having slaughtered so many of my warriors, this cannot go unanswered by my people."

Malefor frowned but Liun stepped in. "I fail to see what good it would do to go out of your way to track Tremor down." He already had a good idea that it was the earth dragon after remembering the fight he had once gotten into with him. "But I suppose that if you must, then who am I to stop you from having a bit of fun?"

"Perhaps." Malefor nodded, taking over briefly. "It would give us something to do while we wait for the guardians to return here. And in the meantime we can have a little amusement ourselves."

Scraunch perked his ears in great interest. "How can you be certain they will return?"

"Because they always do."

Flame groaned as a wave of pain swept through his left side.

"Ow," he muttered in his sleep.

"Flame?" Ember's voice brought him back from unconsciousness. "Flame, can you hear me?"

Slowly, Flame's eyes opened. He stared up in to the bright blue eyes of his dragoness. "Ember..." Flame groaned again as his head began to throb.

"Easy there, Master Flame," A raspy voice ordered. Flame felt a small hand slide under his head and dab a cool cloth on his forehead. Flame noticed it was a manweersmall tending to a nasty gash he'd received which was turning deep purple against his red hide.

"How do you feel?" Ember asked softly giving him a gentle lick on his snout.

It was then that Flame remembered the dragon city. The battle to get to the temple, losing the dragons from Certrona and finding his grandpa and the other guardians in the clutches of the Dark Master and being unable to help them.

"Grandpa," Flame whispered and squeezed his eyes shut as more tears began to flow.

Ember felt her heart break seeing him like this. She lay down beside him, ignoring her own bruises and injuries to comfort the dragon she loved. "I'm sorry Flame. I wish there was something I could do to make the pain go away."

"I am truly sorry for your loss Master Flame." A heavy-bladed mole warrior sighed sadly as he walked up to them. "The loss of our guardians and our home has pained us all." He gestured to the camp ground where mole warriors and manweersmalls trudged along wearily.

"Wh-where are we?" Flame wheezed.

"There'll be time for that in a little bit." Ember shushed him with a gentle kiss on his chin. "Drink some water first. We don't want that wound getting infected and you getting sick. It's best to keep your fluids cycled throughout your body."

Flame didn't argue as a manweersmall brought him a dish of fresh, cold water. A chill ran down Flame's spine and his scales rattled slightly. Ember noticed and draped her wing over his back as he gulped down the rest of the soothing liquid.

"Feeling better?" Ember asked, searching his expression for any sign of further affliction.

"A little," Flame muttered. He groaned loudly as he got to his feet. His head spun and Ember caught him before he could topple over and fall.

"Easy now," she whispered softly. Flame stabilized himself and took in a deep breath of fresh air.

"So where are we?" He looked down at the mole who had addressed him and immediately recognized the general as Mason.

"We're some fifty miles from Warfang," Mason answered sternly. "We were attacked a couple of weeks ago by the wolves just shortly after Liun came back to the dragon city. He was badly wounded and we gave him aid immediately."

"Liun?" Flame felt his temper rise and the air temperature in the area skyrocketed. "How could you let him in to the city?!"

"Flame! Calm down!" Ember snapped. "They didn't know any better. The last time they saw him he was supposedly on our side, remember."

Flame hung his head in shame. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry Mason. I didn't mean what I said."

The general rested his paw on the dragon's shoulder. "I know, Young Flame. You're still new to being a guardian and you still have much to learn. But you try your hardest no matter what. We're only mortal you know. We're supposed to make mistakes and learn from them."

Flame sighed sadly as more tears trickled down his muzzle. After a moment of silence he wiped his face with the back of his dirty paw and looked Mason in the eye. "So what's our situation?"

"We've been trying to recover our forces and regain our lost strength since we were forced to flee the city." The general sighed. "Our forces have been scattered about for days. And what we haven't been able to find, those cursed wolves most certainly have." The mole general paced about the campsite as the moles and manweersmalls cooked what little rations they had and tried to get some rest between watch shifts.

"How much have we been able to regroup?" Flame asked as he and Ember hobbled along beside the general.

"We have been able to recover about sixty-five percent of our military strength, not including all of the manweersmalls. Mole-Yair has gone out with several other manweersmall search parties to help gather our forces before we can think of retaking the city."

"When was the last we heard from them?"

"That was about a day and a half ago," Mason replied. "They usually leave for two days and return on the third. We move in oblique patterns to keep from being tracked accurately by the wolf search parties." Mason shook his head. "Those beasts are monsters. We never stood a chance against them."

"Don't blame yourself, Mason." Ember leaned down and gave him a comforting nudge with her snout. "We've had to deal with them ourselves. We know what you've been through." She looked over at Flame who was still looking around the camp ground. "What's important is that you were able to escape with your lives for the most part."

"That is true." Mason sighed as he rubbed some dust off his goggles. "It's a shame to see so many of your own soldiers fall at one time before your very eyes. Not even the great battle of Warfang against the Dark Master's forces was this bad."

"We'll honor the dead later," Flame spoke up, turning back to them. "For now we should focus on how to go about defeating Liun. If we don't bring him down, then everyone's deaths will have been for nothing."

"I couldn't agree more, Master Flame." Mason nodded. "But for now you and Mistress Ember should get some rest. We will discuss our plans of action in the morning."

Flame sighed as the general led them back to a small pit dug by the manweersmalls. The ground was surprisingly warm here and Flame and Ember had no trouble settling down immediately. Before long, both dragons were fast asleep. Mason sat down on a stump beside them and brushed some of the dust off his battered and blood stained armor. "Rest well young guardians. We all have a difficult task ahead of us."

"Tremor, hold up," Candice gasped and collapsed onto her haunches. "I can't go on any more."

The earth dragon was immediately at the dragoness's side. "Are you alright? What's the matter? Is there anything I can do?" Tremor asked like a worried father.

Candice winced in pain but tried to smile it off the way Tremor did so many times before. "I just need to rest. That's all."

Tremor sat down and lifted his dragoness's paw slowly. Candice bit her lip expecting the stab of pain to hit at any moment. Tremor frowned as he inspected her foreleg. It was a disgusting color of purple against her once beautiful pale-blue scales. The swelling in her limb was also very apparent.

"This isn't good at all," Tremor reported as he grazed his paw along her broken limb, hardly making any contact but using his senses to feel her injury. "We need to find you some water to help this out."

"Tremor, I'm the guardian of ice. There's always water where I'm involved."

"I mean fresh water for you to drink. We need to get this swelling down soon or there may be more damage later on that we won't be able to fix."

Candice seemed to freeze up at that. Tremor seemed to notice and moved in to give her an assuring kiss on the cheek but Candice turned her head away. "Nice try, but I'm still mad at you."

"Oh come on Candice!" Tremor protested. "What more do you want me to do? Turn into a purple dragon myself? What do I need to do to prove that I'm sorry for thinking about leaving."

"Tremor, it's not just that." Candice sighed and shook her head at the ground.

"Then what is it Candice?"

The ice guardian was silent for a moment. "I was afraid I'd lost you Tremor. I mean, I've nearly lost you to fights against Liun's forces but not like what you showed me in Certrona. All those other times I was there by your side and you by mine. And even though you nearly died every single time, we were still together. But hearing that you wanted to quit... It was just so unlike you." Candice looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "It was like you were a completely different dragon than the one I fell in love with."

"I understand that." Tremor sat down beside her and draped a wing around her shoulders. "But I've learned from that mistake."

"But how can I be sure?" Candice looked him in the eyes and he suddenly felt a chill against his wing. Candice's ice energy was emanating from her body and leaving spots of frost against his wing membrane. "Tremor, I was stunned and distraught when you said you wanted to leave! How can I be sure that you won't get that idea in your head again?"

Tremor sighed to think for a moment. Candice was a sharp mind and he needed to come up with an answer that would more than redeem himself in her eyes. After several long, quiet minutes Tremor hung his head in defeat. "You can't be sure," He muttered. Candice hung her head again and turned away. "I'm not even certain that the idea won't cross my mind again either," Tremor continued. "But I do know one thing."

"What's that?" Candice asked glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"If resigning from duty means losing you as a friend and even more importantly as a mate," Tremor shook his head as he gazed at her wounded figure. Even in defeat she was still breathtaking in his eyes. "The cost wouldn't be worth it. A little dragoness back in Certrona taught me that."

Candice felt her heart leap in her chest and her cheeks flushed. She turned away from Tremor and looked down at her good paw. She suddenly felt warm all over. It was a feeling she hadn't felt since she had first confessed to him about her feelings. She glanced up at him and stared into his eyes. The seemed to be glowing with hope for her acceptance. In all honesty she did believe him; she believed in him. She would have to make it through the upcoming battle.

"Come on Tremor." Candice sighed with relief as she got to her feet. "We need to keep going."

"Yeah, I intend to," Tremor thought to himself. "I'll prove myself to you again Candice."

The two of them continued on through the darkening forest. Night would be upon them soon and Tremor was doing his best to help Candice along without hurrying her too much. At last they came to a small creek running through the forest where they stopped to get a drink. Tremor made a dish out of earth and mixed mud into it from different parts of the creek. Candice watched him with deep interest and confusion as to the purpose of his actions.

"Give me your leg," Tremor instructed her. The dragoness lifted her broken leg up to him which he held delicately in his paw. The earth guardian used the other paw to scoop up a glob of mud before swathing it gently across Candice's foreleg. He continued to add layers of mud until the dragoness's forelimb was completely covered in thick mud. "Now this may hurt a little." Tremor warned her. He brought his paw to hover over her forelimb. Candice watched as the mud began to harden and suddenly the stab of pain hit her like a blade through her leg. The ice dragoness screamed, yanking her wounded limb back and striking Tremor across the face with her good paw before falling over into the mud dish. Tremor shrugged off the blow as he got to his feet again. "Now freeze it!" He commanded. "That way the minerals will help heal your skin and the ice will keep the blood circulating."

Candice glared at him and breathed a layer of ice across the adobe cast. When she was done she sat down and narrowed her eyes at Tremor. "Sorry about that." She looked at the mark she had left on his cheek. "But that really, really hurt."

"I know," Tremor nodded with a slight smirk. "But it was for the best."

Candice smiled at him. "You pebble-brained idiot."

"I love you too." Tremor smiled back. Candice's smile widened as she gazed longingly into his bright green eyes. She got up and walked over to where the creek turned into a small waterfall beneath the roots of a towering tree. She stuck her face under the water and let it wash away the mud that had splattered across her features. When she pulled her head out she sputtered and shook the excess water off. She blinked a couple times and looked up into the dark roots of the tree. Her eyes narrowed at them as the shadows almost seemed to be moving.

Suddenly she felt a strong force grip her by the throat. Candice gasped for air as the shadows manifested into the clawed hand of Scraunch. The Alpha emerged from the darkness; the shadows melting away from his silver fur.

"Candice!" Tremor shouted and whirled around with wings spread wide and a growl rumbling in his throat.

Scraunch stared into Candice's terrified eyes. "You will die now." He raised his blade to ram it through the dragoness's gut. Tremor lurched forward and slammed a paw into the ground, shooting a stone up into Scraunch's hand, shattering the bones in his fingers that gripped the deadly weapon. The Alpha snarled furiously as the blade dropped to the ground. Tremor fired an earth bullet, shattering the blade and fixed his eyes on the pack leader.

"Put her down!" He ordered. "And let's settle this, dragon to mutt!"

Scraunch glanced at Tremor. "As you wish," He growled and dropped Candice to the ground before stepping back into the shadows of the tree. Tremor's eyes widened and he began to look around frantically.

High above in the trees, a shadow moved along the branches. The Alpha emerged without so much as a sound and dropped down on top of Tremor. The earth dragon cried out as the wolf brought his massive fist down on his head, stunning him. Scraunch grabbed the young guardian and lifted him by the tail, exposing Tremor's underbelly. With an angry snarl he struck the dragon across the chest with his elongated claws, tearing five, deep wounds into the guardian's scales. Tremor hit a fallen tree and crumbled to the ground. Blood spilled from his burning, open wounds.

Scraunch wasn't about to wait for his opponent to get up. He lunged for Tremor, ready to deliver the final blow, when a loud shriek cut through the air.

"No!" Candice screamed. The dragoness was on her feet and threw herself in front of Tremor. Scraunch slammed his fist into Candice's chest and pinned her against the trunk of the tree.

"You dare to interfere?" The Alpha growled angrily.

"Please," Candice wheezed against the wolf's crushing grip. "Do what you want with me. But please don't kill him."

"C-Candice..." Tremor groaned and looked up at her. He was still stunned from the blow and trying to rise but with almost no success.

"He is the slayer of my people." Scraunch shook the ice dragoness violently causing her to cry out in pain. "I was told of a single dragon who possessed the power to defeat an entire army of my finest warriors who wasn't the purple dragon. And I have come to claim vengeance for my warriors that he's slain."

"That wasn't Tremor," Candice squeaked, trying to get some fresh air into her lungs. "It was me."

"What?" Tremor gasped, his head still spinning. "Candice, don't do it!"

Scraunch stared at the dragoness in his hand for a moment before kicking Tremor in the head. The blow sent the earth guardian's world spinning again and he fell back to the ground.

"Tremor!" Candice cried as Scraunch stomped off into the woods. Her voice was the last thing he heard before falling unconscious again.

The hours of the night ticked by slowly. Flame and Ember barely stirred in their sleep as the moles and manweersmalls slept and went about their guard changes. The general sat against the stump of a tree, doing his best to sleep but wasn't very successful. The past weeks had been tiresome for Mason as he did his best to keep up the morale of his troops as well as the manweersmall refugees. They had almost given up completely when they had stumbled across the two fire dragons unconscious in the forest. He and his men were stunned at the news Ember had told them of the fate of the elder guardians, but they continued to hold onto the hope that the new guardians could pull through for them.

Along the edge of the camp the mole warriors marched wearily. They were armed with heavy blades which weighed down on their shoulders, making the sentries drag their feet with each step. After hours of pacing one of the sentries stopped to set his blade down and rest for a few minutes. He sighed and looked up at the stars beyond the canopy of the trees. The moons were covered by patches of clouds making the stars flicker in and out of view. The warrior sighed heavily and turned to look at a fellow soldier heading his way.

Just then, from out of the darkness a clawed hand grabbed the sentry. The mole screamed and his comrade rushed over to the spot he had been a moment before. The sentry parted the bushes and his jaw fell open when he saw the skeleton leaned over the dismembered body that was his fellow sentry. The skeleton looked up at him, blood dripping from his jaws, his green eyes flashing with excitement.

"Run!" The sentry turned and shouted immediately waking the campground. A moment later the skeleton grabbed him and yanked him into the darkness. The moles and manweersmalls scrambled, bumping onto one another and staggering around, still half asleep.

A trio of the skeletons leaped over the bushes and let loose shrieks that stunned the moles close by. Mason grabbed his heavy blade and waved his paw in the air. The troops all responded accordingly and began to run towards the edge of the forest.

"Come on! We have to go!" He shouted to Flame and Ember who were half running through the mass of moles.

"What the hell are those things!?" Flame shouted as he and Ember began to pick up their pace.

"They're what's left of the apes that used to serve the Dark Master!" Mason hollered as more of the skeletons arrived on the scene and too pursuit. "They're called Shadows!"

"I thought all the apes were dead!" Ember huffed and looked back over her shoulder as several of the monsters pounced on more of the fleeing wolves and manweersmalls at the rear.

"They are!" Mason hollered back.

"We have to help them!" Flame growled and turned back towards the rear guard. He lunged for the nearest ape and struck it across the face. The skeleton's head spun around on its neck and its green eyes glistened with rage. "Oh, shit!" Flame gasped. A sharp pain ripped through his right side as the ape knocked him to the ground, leaving long gashes along his side.

"Get away from them!" Ember snarled and spit a volley of sparklers out, blinding the apes. The creatures wailed from the brilliant light and retreated into the darkness of the forest. Ember stepped in front of Flame and fired another barrage of fire balls into the darkness after them. The sounds of explosions and cries of pain filled the air. The dragoness smiled and turned back to her wounded mate. "Are you okay?"

Before Flame could answer a shadow lunged from the darkness and landed on Ember. The dragoness screamed as she felt the sharp bones dig into her shoulders and hindquarters. The ape bit down hard on her shoulder, spilling her blood across the ground. Flame rammed the ape in the face, knocking it off onto its back. The creature started to get up and Flame's eyes widened.

"Ember, run! I'll hold them off!"

Ember didn't argue. She turned back towards the retreating moles and manweersmalls and did her best to run, despite her wounds.

Flame slammed his tail across the face of on ape before ramming it into a nearby tree. The bones shattered and the body crumbled into dust. Immediately another shadow rushed in and swiped at Flame with its long, boney claws. Flame managed to duck in time as the claws ripped a massive chunk out of the tree. The young guardian sprayed the monster in the face with his fire breath sending it running in all directions before its bones cracked as well, disintegrating it. Four more of the entities took its place and Flame turned tail.

"Go go go!" He shouted and bounded after his friends. The moles and manweersmalls were running as fast as they could. Several were doing their best to dive under ground and tunnel away at a much faster pace.

All around the apes leaped from the darkness. Several dropped from the trees on top of the fleeing warriors. Flame and Ember rammed the skeletons off of the warriors they could save before they were dragged away screaming but not all were so fortunate. Flame roared and blew a wall of fire behind them, illuminating the forest in a brilliant orange light.

One of the apes lunged for Mason who barely had time to raise his sword in defense as the deadly jaws clamped down around him.

"Back off!" Ember struck and cracked the ape's skull. The skeleton staggered before being obliterated by a fireball.

Suddenly a clawed hand burst from the ground beneath Ember and grabbed her hind leg. The pink dragoness screamed in fright and tried to kick it off.

"Lady Ember!" Mason swung his blade, breaking the ape's forearm off. A split second later a hand reached up and grabbed his sword arm. Ember bent down and clamped her jaws around the arm, snapping it in half. Another arm shot up and swiped at the mole general but Ember shoved him out of the way. The claws raked across her face and she screamed in pain. More arms burst from the ground, grabbing the dragoness by her legs and tail.

"No!" Flame roared when he saw his mate begin to be pulled underground. The fire guardian stomped on the arms as hard as he could, trying to break his dragoness free. The bones shattered, leaving the red dragon with painful splinters in his paws. Flame bore the pain for his love and continued to slash wildly at the grasping claws. He had just freed Ember's front arm when he felt his back leg get pulled under ground. He cried out as he collapsed to the ground.

"Master Flame!" Mason charged forward with his heavy sword at the ready.

"Stay back!" Flame roared. "Get everyone out of here!" Mason paused with his mouth hung open. "Go! Now!" Flame bellowed and swiped at another claw. Mason took a hesitant step back as a cluster of apes dropped from the trees above. The mole general turned and fled. The apes glanced at each other before springing after him.

"Oh no you don't!" Flame fired a massive fire ball, destroying the entities before they could get away.

"Flame!" Ember cried. The dragoness was reaching out to him in desperation; her lower half was already under ground.

"Ember! I'm not leaving you!" Flame reached out for her and came within inches of her paw when it was pinned down. The fire breathers struggled to reach one another as they were slowly pulled beneath the forest floor. They let out one last defiant roar before the apes gave the final pull, leaving the night filled with screams of fright.


	27. Chapter 27

"How are you doing Stella?" Hunter asked as he carried the dragoness in his arms. The cheetah warrior and lightning dragoness had been trudging on through the night at what felt like a snails pace. They had woken up far away in Avalar, miles away from the dragon city. Hunter had gotten away with a few cuts and bruises and some bruised ribs being the worst of his injuries. Stella by comparison hadn't been so fortunate. Like Candice, one of her forelegs was broken in three places. Her left wing had been smashed against a tree and now hung limp at her side. She had broken a couple ribs and her bruising was showing against her golden yellow scales.

"I'm surviving," The lightning dragoness wheezed.

Hunter nodded sadly, knowing well that she wasn't one to ask for help unless it was absolutely necessary. They had been walking for hours without any sign of civilization for several hours. The night had been quiet except for the nighttime creatures going about their business.

As they moved along, Stella found herself drifting off into a light slumber. Her mind began to think back to the secluded dragon city Certrona. She wondered how Infernus was doing and how well his recovery was coming along. Her thoughts drifted to the dragons that had come with them, Max, Plax and Zephyr. Stella didn't know Max as well as Cynder or Tremor but she could tell from their behavior with one another that he was a good friend. She began to think about what may have become of the trio of dragons. She couldn't be sure about Max's survival but maybe Plax and Zephyr had made it out okay before the Dark Master's rebirth. But then again it was still a very far flight back to Certrona and Stella wasn't sure how long that would take when hefting a frozen body the entire way.

A snapping twig brought the dragoness back to consciousness. Hunter froze and raised his nose to the air. He could smell smoke and his ears twitched slightly. The crackle of torches was drawing closer to them.

"What is it?" Stella whispered glancing around nervously in all directions.

A smile spread across Hunter's face. "Friends," He replied. He remained where he was and slowly they began to hear footsteps drawing closer to them. The torches became visible through the trees and familiar shadows began to emerge from the darkness. The red cheetah stopped with eyes wide in surprise. "Hunter!"

"Chief Prowlus." Hunter nodded with a smile. "It is good to see that you are well."

"Indeed, as I should say to you as well." The chieftain bobbed his head as more of the cheetah warriors gathered on the scene. Prowlus glanced at Stella in Hunter's arms and bowed slightly. "Lady Stella. It is good to see you alive and well. The elders have been worried about you."

"Thank you." Stella tried to smile but wasn't very successful. "But..." Her gaze lowered to the forest floor and her voice trailed off.

"The elders have been taken by Liun and Malefor." Hunter finished.

"What!" Prowlus gasped and a terrified murmur moved amongst the other felines. "How is that possible?"

"We aren't sure." Hunter shook his head. "But we believe that he attacked the dragon city just shortly after we had left."

"Blast that cursed dragon Malefor!" Prowlus snapped, a feral growl rumbling in his throat. "What will it take to finally be rid of him?"

The other warriors hung their heads in dismay. Stella looked around the faces and could feel their hearts dropping one by one. She squirmed free of Hunter's grip and fell clumsily to the ground. The cheetahs lifted their eyes when she cried out as another wave of pain swept over her. Hunter went to help her but Stella waved him off with her good wing.

"Chief Prowlus, you don't mean to tell me that you're going to let Malefor try and destroy the world again are you?" She looked the red chieftain square in the eyes.

"Lady Stella... I..."

"I don't like the situation any more than you do. But I for one don't want to spend the rest of my days hiding in fear or fighting endlessly. I have friends who I care about and love and I am willing to fight for their safety."

"Yes... but..."

"But what?" Stella raised a brow. "It's hopeless? I don't think so. Will it be tough? Most likely. But we can't get what we want the most unless we work hard for it." She looked around the cluster of cat eyes staring down at her. She was beginning to get to them. "And we can reach those goals even faster when we work together." Stella looked back at the chieftain. "Will you help us? Again?"

Prowlus smiled and gave a slight chuckle. "If you had asked me years ago when the dark armies were taking over our lands I would have said no. But I see that the purple dragon Spyro has made quite an impression on you." Prowlus knelt down and placed a paw on Stella's head. "You have my full support." He turned to his warriors. "Am I right?"

"Avalar!" The cheetahs hollered in unison. Stella smiled and glanced back at Hunter who nodded approvingly.

"Shall we be going then?" Stella asked sweetly.

"Not just yet Lady Stella." Prowlus halted her. "You're not going anywhere in your condition." He glanced over his shoulder. "Meadow, are you still with us?"

Another red cheetah made his way through the crowd of warriors and knelt down beside Stella. "What can I do?" He asked gently.

"Our guardian of lightning is in need of medical treatment," Hunter replied. "If you are able to help her move on her own, the sooner we may go rendezvous with Spyro and the others."

"I will see what can be done." Meadow replied calmly and laid his hands on Stella. The dragoness sighed deeply and lay against a tree for support. Meadow's violet eyes closed as he concentrated on his task. Stella felt the warmth of his healing energy spread throughout her body. It was very familiar; almost like Ember's but with its own sense of uniqueness. It felt like a warm cloth was being draped around her, keeping the cold at bay. "This may take a little while," Meadow said, cracking an eyelid. "But you'll be just fine."

Cynder's head spun in circles. She was beginning to wake up but her mind was severely disoriented. The dragoness groaned and tried to open her eyes but her vision was blurred.

"Easy there Cynder." Sparx laid a tiny hand on her cheek. "You took a nasty hit when we landed."

"Uh..." Cynder moaned again and clutched at her head. Sparx continued to stroke her cheek until he heard footsteps coming closer. The dragonfly turned to see his brother emerge from the underbrush, carrying a bundle of branches under his wings.

"She seems to be coming around," Sparx reported.

"That's good." Spyro nodded sadly. He set the bundles down and came to sit beside his dragoness. "Cynder," he whispered, leaning down towards her. His gentle voice seemed to calm her senses down and her breathing returned to normal. "It's me, Spyro. Can you hear me?"

"Spyro," Cynder whimpered and opened her eyes. Her vision was still blurred but she could see his figure before her. The purple dragon reached a paw out and rested it on Cynder's head. The dragoness felt a sudden chill then heat spread across her body. Her eyes snapped open, her senses cleared up and a sudden rush of energy surged inside her heart. Spyro withdrew his paw and smiled at her.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Cynder gasped in astonishment as she flexed her talons before rolling to her feet.

"Still got the magic touch with the ladies I see." Sparx chuckled and both dragons blushed.

"Where are we?" Cynder asked after a long silence between them.

"We're in the mountains beyond Warfang," Spyro replied darkly. "It seems like everyone was scattered about. I've been trying to reach the others for the past several hours."

"Leaving me to babysit you," Sparx pointed out to Cynder.

Cynder ignored him for the time being. "Any luck?"

Spyro sighed. "Very little." He turned towards the east and sighed. "I managed to locate the surviving moles and manweersmalls but they've been moving quickly away from something. Something dark. I couldn't quite detect what it was exactly."

"Do you think it's Malefor?"

"Do you think it's Malefor...? Of course!" Sparx sputtered. "Who else could possibly be interfering?"

"I was able to locate Tremor and Candice but they were attacked by one of the wolves from the city. Candice has gone missing and Tremor's been out cold for the past several hours. I haven't sensed Flame or Ember at all so my guess is they..."

"Don't, say it." Cynder stopped him with a raised paw. "I don't want to even think about such a thing. What about Stella?"

"She's alive along with Hunter. I sent a telepathic message to Chief Prowlus to head out and search for them."

Cynder stared at the purple dragon in utter amazement. "Wow," She whispered.

"What?" Spyro tilted his head slightly in confusion.

Cynder's eyes seemed to gleam in the late afternoon sky. Even though it was overcast, her eyes still sparkled like polished gems. "You've really changed Spyro. For the better."

Spyro blushed and turned away. "Well, now that you're up, we can go about formulating a plan to take back our home."

"Sounds good to me." Sparx crossed his arms and nodded. "What do you suggest we do?"

"I say that we gather everyone that we can," Cynder recommended. "We're going to need all the help we can get."

"As little as I want to involve any more innocent lives with this," Spyro muttered, "You're right. If we're going to take back our home, we're going to need the help of whatever forces we can gather."

"Well buddy, go ahead and do your thing." Sparx gave his brother a punch in the shoulder. "You're the one who can communicate across the great lands just by sitting on your big purple butt for an hour."

"Sparx!" Cynder scolded and the dragonfly shrank back in surprise. Cynder turned to Spyro and nodded her consent. The purple dragon sat upright and closed his eyes before taking in a long, deep breath. Spyro quickly entered his meditative state and expanded his essence across the land. He remembered the last location he had sensed Stella and Hunter and zeroed in on them. Sure enough, they had been found by Chief Prowlus and the other warriors of the cheetah tribe.

Hunter! Spyro called in his mind.

Miles away the cheetah scout's ears perked up and he turned his head to the sky.

"What is it Hunter?" Prowlus asked, seeing the warrior's sudden reaction.

"I'm not certain," Hunter replied. "But I thought I heard Spyro's voice just now."

It is I. Spyro spoke again, this time in the heads of the other warriors as well. Listen, Hunter, we need to meet back up at the dragon city.

"I understand." Hunter nodded, staring straight ahead as if looking into the distance. "But we have a bit of a situation right now. Stella is receiving medical treatment for her injuries and we can't move her until Meadow is done."

I understand. Spyro nodded in his mind. Things aren't looking very good right now. We've lost Flame and Ember and Candice has been taken prisoner by the wolves. I have, however, managed to locate the moles and manweersmalls. They're in trouble due to an unknown force of Malefor's. I can't sense exactly what but they've been constantly on the move all night.

"Is Tremor close enough to help them?" Hunter asked and Stella raised her head.

I'm going to try and reach him but he's been unconscious for some time now. When you can, meet up with him. Spyro concentrated hard as he sent a mental map of where they should go. Hunter and the others jolted in unison when they received the image in their heads. I'll direct Tremor and the others there as well. Cynder, Sparx and I will meet up with you there.

"We understand." Hunter nodded. "Be careful, and may the ancestors watch over you."

Spyro wanted to reply but found nothing to say. The situation was dire and few words could be said to make it better. However, he did feel a slight sense of relief.

"Now to try and reach Tremor," He pondered to himself as he began to search out the earth guardian. "Let's hope he's able to make it in time."


	28. Chapter 28

The manweersmall shrieked in fright as the ape pounced on top of him, grabbing his legs in his jaws. The skeleton shook the rodent viciously, trying to tear its weaker limbs away from its body. The manweersmall beat its tiny fists against the hard skull of the living dead but to no avail. The ape reared its head back and slammed the exhausted creature onto the hard ground, stunning it briefly. The entity reared on its hind legs and thrust its claws forward, aiming to plunge them into the soft flesh of its prey.

Three moles wielding heavy blades darted in and held their weapons to meet the ape's claws. Their steel cracked the bones in its arm and it yanked its arm back with a squall of pain.

"Hold them!" Mason hollered over the cries and shouts of his own warriors as well as the noise produced by the pursuing creatures of darkness. It was late into the night and his warriors had been fleeing and fighting for what must have been several hours. The apes were far faster than they were, preventing any significant gain in ground. The light armors pushed forward, swinging wildly as the horrific entities swung and snapped at them, trying to break them up enough to dart in for a quick kill. The moles and manweersmalls were learning quickly to keep themselves close together in order to effectively fend off their attackers. However, the faster, taller apes had managed to keep Mason's troops surrounded and confined to a single cluster. Now all they needed to do was find a weak point in their barrier of blades.

"We're breaking through!" A manweersmall cried from the front of the retreat.

Mason turned around for a split second to see the soldiers towards the front knocking back several of the apes attempting to block their path. The general was about to turn back when the torchlight glistened off the evil green eyes waiting in the trees above.

"No! Hold position!" Mason shouted, pushing through the cluster of bodies towards the front of the procession.

The manweersmall paused a moment with a confused look on his face before a crushing force dropped down onto his back, severing his spine in the process. The ape shrieked like a banshee causing the nearest rodents to jump in surprise as more apes dropped from the trees above.

Mason cursed the specters as they proceeded to break the lines of his formation. He hurled his main blade, catching one skeleton in its eye socket. The creature wailed in agony, tearing at its own head, trying to get away from the pain. The general raised his other blade as he hurried to support the front of the lines when he was struck from the side. He bounced across the ground and saw stars spinning around his head.

Three apes beard down on him and opened their jaws to scream.

"General!" One of the mole soldiers shouted frantically trying to get to his superior officer.

Mason covered his face as the apes raised their claws to strike.

Suddenly the forest was illuminated in a brilliant green glow. The apes looked up to have their heads removed from their bodies by a large earth missile. The attack shattered several trees causing the apes hiding in them to fall to the ground before being showered with debris. Mason looked up and coughed hard, trying to breathe through the dust and splinters.

"It's Master Tremor!" One of the moles exclaimed excitedly. Every head turned as the earth guardian charged out of the darkness and barreled into the apes. The skeletons squawked in surprise and scrambled to get away.

The moles and manweersmalls cheered as the young dragon bashed his way through the living nightmares, tossing them into each other, crushing their skulls beneath his powerful paws.

But even Tremor was outnumbered. Several arms burst up from the ground and grabbed at him. The earth dragon snarled furiously and stomped the ground, sending the buried bodies bursting up into the air where he finished them off with quick bursts of earth bullets.

Two apes dropped from the trees and onto Tremors back, digging their claws into him and trying not to let go as he bucked and kicked about like a wild horse, trying to throw them off.

"Master Tremor!" Mason hollered as he lifted his heavy blade. The earth dragon spun once and dropped his body to the ground. The apes looked up at Mason brought his heavy steel across their faces, shattering the bones that had comprised their faces.

Tremor let out an angry roar and slammed all four paws into the ground. All around, spikes of earth burst from the ground, smashing the skeletons to bits while providing cover areas for the rodent soldiers. The remaining apes fled into the trees and Tremor sprang after them. The entities shrieked in fright when they saw the earth dragon chasing them.

The earth guardian sprang from branch to branch, barely flapping his wings in the process. A couple of the apes grabbed onto a branch just as he fired an earth bullet, shattering the limb. The apes wailed as they fell towards the ground, striking the lower branches before breaking upon impact with the ground. The last apes leaped for the next tree only to find it swaying out of their reach. Tremor swung his tail and the tree moved back as the ape tried to redirect its leap. The entity missed its target and fell screaming into the darkness with a loud crunch of bone against the forest floor.

When Tremor glided back down to the ground he was greeted with a joyful and relieved uproar of cheering from the surviving moles and manweersmalls. The earth dragon forced a smile; these troops had been through hell and back, having been driven from their home, and chased by wolves, and undead shadows of the past only to come out alive by the skin of their teeth. He had to admire them for their enduring persistence in their survival skills. When banded together, these soldiers were no easy foe. But Tremor's heart and mind were elsewhere. Mason noticed as he trudged over and placed a grateful paw on the earth dragon's shoulder.

"Thank you for the save, Master Tremor." He sighed with relief. "We wouldn't have made it very long without you."

"All part of the job description." Tremor bobbed his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Indeed." Mason nodded, looking around Tremor into the woods. "Are you here alone?"

"Unfortunately," Tremor grumbled. "Those wolves... they... they took Candice." He hung his head in shame and tried his best to fight off the tears as the moles and manweersmalls began to gather around him. "I... I couldn't save her..."

"Come now Master Tremor." Mason gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "You shouldn't blame yourself. You did what you could under the circumstances."

Tremor growled. "When I get my hands on that wolf, I'm going to make him pay." He looked around the circle of faces. All the rodents were watching him keenly. "But first we'd better get you guys out of this place. We have to meet up with Spyro. He and Cynder are waiting for us."

"Yes sir!" Mason saluted and the troops followed his lead. "You heard the dragon! Keep moving!"

The warriors nodded. "Sir! Yes sir!"

Tremor moved towards the front of the line, leading the moles in the direction that Spyro had etched into his mind after waking up. His spirits were low but his pace was noticeably high. The past day had been full of losses including the loss of his dragoness. The earth dragon's brow furrowed into an irritated scowl. He was determined to avenge the losses of his comrades in arms and get his mate back. And no force in the world would be able to keep him from doing just that.

Scraunch set the cage down in the middle of the temple chamber. Inside Candice glared at him as she had been for the past several hours. The Alpha smirked and rattled the cage, knocking her off balance, causing her to fall onto her wounded leg. Candice bit her lips as she fought through the pain to continue glaring at the wolf.

"You dragons really are proud of yourselves." He knelt down in front of the cage and placed a hand on the bars. "Almost in a sort of high and mighty arrogance if you ask me. But that's never changed about dragons over the years."

"Get to the point, furball," Candice snapped.

"You dragons hold yourselves above all creatures, like you're the dominant beings of this world."

Candice almost laughed in his face. "Now what pile of crap did you pull that out of? Because I have never heard anything so disgustingly ridiculous in my life."

Scraunch frowned. "Stop mocking me!" He snarled and knocked the cage over. This time when Candice hit her arm she couldn't help but cry out in pain. The swelling in her arm was worsening by the second. "You dragons call yourselves the guardians of our world simply because you have the ability to harness all the powers of the world around you, automatically making you masters of every living creature."

"Once again," Candice winced and leered at him. "Nothing but crap."

Scraunch kicked the cage and knocked it against the wall with a loud clang. "Still just as arrogant in the face of your certain death, dragon. You don't fool me with your words. But your actions go to show your true nature." He gestured around the room. "Look at this place. This city. It's all in dedication for you beasts. You erect statues and towers high up to overlook everything in the land. And you say that you're equal to others but in actuality you're looking down on everyone."

"It's dragon nature you imbecile." Candice groaned as Scraunch lurked over to her cage. "We take off from high places because we fly. In case you've never read up on dragon history we used to live in the mountains thousands of years ago so cities like this are obviously ideal places."

"Nothing more than garbage and excuses." Scraunch hurled the cage across the room. The bars rattled against the floor before coming to a stop. Candice opened her eyes to see Liun had stopped the cage from rolling any more. The dark dragon stared down at her in disinterest before turning back to the Alpha.

"Do you care to explain the meaning of bringing this dragoness to me?" He growled, narrowing his eyes at Scraunch. "You informed us that you were going to hunt down the guardian that had humiliated your forces when the guardians attempted to take back the city the first time." He glanced down at Candice who had a look of terror in her eyes. The dark dragon was much taller than she had last remembered him and far more horrific looking. "And instead you bring me this piece of trash instead!" Liun slammed his tail against the cage, denting the bars and nearly crushing Candice in the process. But the enclosure didn't so much as budge an inch, much to Scraunch and Candice's surprise.

Immediately the Alpha dropped to his knees and bowed his head. "Forgive me, Master. That was my intention at first. But... I thought of a much more suiting punishment for the earth guardian."

"Tremor!" Candice gasped silently, her eyes widening in a sudden fluster of worry.

Liun noticed her reaction and a wicked grin spread across his face as he approached his servant. "Go on, Pack Leader. I'm listening for the time being." His fiery eyes narrowed and Malefor's presence could immediately be felt in the room. "However, this had better be worth my time."

"Y-yes Master." Scraunch stared at the floor, trying to avoid eye contact. "You see, this dragoness..." He glanced at Candice who was watching them with deep interest. "Is the mate of the earth guardian."

Liun's brows jumped at that and he turned to look at Candice. "Well that's rather unexpected. I never would have thought that you would let Tremor get to you in such a way."

Candice's cheeks flushed and she glared at the dark dragon. "What do you know, you bastard? You don't know the first thing about caring for someone! Especially after the way that you treated Stella!"

Liun smirked at seeing her reaction. "Ah yes, how is my dear Stella? I hope she wasn't too badly wounded after Malefor's powers were bestowed upon me." Then he shrugged. "Oh, well. I suppose it doesn't matter too much. I'll make her mine once again, as soon as I deal away with that annoying purple dragon and the rest of your pathetic band of friends." He started to turn away when Candice laughed out loud at him.

"Good luck trying to get Stella to be with you again, you loser. She's already moved on to a real dragon who can treat her better than you ever could." Liun turned his yellow eyes on her and curled his lip. Pleased that she was getting the reaction she wanted, Candice gave him Tremor's signature smirk he used to give her whenever getting under her scales. "Now he's what I consider a real dragon. Good looking. Caresses her in the most passionate yet gentle way. And the way he kisses her..." She shuddered as she fantasized about Tremor but the intent was to get to the dark dragon.

Liun was about to give a violent outburst when Malefor stopped him.

"Now is not the time to deal with her." He glanced over at Scraunch who was listening and watching to see what would happen with a look of uncertainty about him. "Let's hear what you have planned, Pack Leader."

"Well... um... Master," Scraunch bowed his head again and averted his gaze. "I was hoping you would allow me to use some of your power and grant me the ability to corrupt the guardian into betraying her fellow dragons." He raised his eyes slightly to see the interested smile disappear from the Dark Master's face.

"I have already granted you the ability to use the shadows to your liking." He growled and his long claws dug into the marble floor and the darkness of his heart began to emanate from his body. "And now you dare to ask me for more?"

Scraunch felt a genuine pang of fear in his heart and he lowered his eyes again. "Forgive me Master. I did not wish to appear greedy. I merely wished to execute the guardians in the most painful, torturous way imaginable."

Malefor glared down at Scraunch and pressed his lips together tightly as he pondered over what to make of the Alpha's request.

It was then that the sound of claws scraping against stone reached their ears. Every head turned to the ape skeleton that emerged from the darkness of the temple. The entity howled and soon more began to appear. Their green eyes flashed excitedly as they dragged with them two bodies.

Candice's jaw dropped when she recognized them. "Flame! Ember!" She cried but the fire breathers showed no sign of life. Flame had a few nasty bruises and minor cuts but Ember was covered from head to tail in slash marks from being clawed at and pulled under ground.

"You see these creatures, Pack Leader?" Malefor growled as he walked in a threatening circle around the apes that now seemed to cower before him. "These are what remain of the apes that once served under me." Without warning the Dark Master lashed out and crushed one of the apes beneath his heavy tail. The bones snapped and the other apes shrieked in fright. The crushed ape's skull was all that remained intact. Malefor picked it up off the floor and looked at Scraunch. "I will grant you your wish, Pack Leader, only because you have served me so well up until now. But keep this in mind," He set the skull down and it shattered beneath his paw. "This is the price for greed. Do I make myself clear?"

"Never again will I ask for such a request, Master." Scraunch nodded and swallowed hard.

The remaining apes held the fire dragons down while Malefor walked up to Scraunch. The Dark Master placed his paw on the wolf's forehead and closed his eyes. After a moment of silence he let out a roar and Scraunch felt a dark presence rise up within him. His mouth fell open but no sound came out. Malefor's shadows swirled around the chamber and Candice did her best to hide behind her wing. After a long moment, Malefor released his grip on the Alpha's mind. The wolf looked up and Candice gasped in terror. Scraunch's eyes were jet black and black markings had been etched into the fur around his face.

A soft groan caught the ice guardian's attention. She glanced over to see Flame and Ember coming to. Flame tried to move but the apes held him fast. Realizing where he was, the fire guardian began to struggle against their hold.

"Get off, you bastards!" He shouted, his voice quickly bringing Ember out of unconsciousness.

"Flame!" She spewed a tuft of fire at the apes that held him down but her captors clapped their claws around her mouth preventing her from causing any more fires.

Liun looked over them and gave a big grin. "Well, what do you say, Pack Leader? Why don't you try your new gift out on our guests?"

Scraunch turned his head and locked his deathly stare on Candice. The ice dragoness felt her blood turn to water. The Alpha lumbered over to her cage and tore it open, breaking the metal bars like they were nothing more than sticks. Candice fell to the floor and instantly felt the pain surge back through her arm. Scraunch snatched her up in his grasp and held her by the throat. An evil grin spread across his muzzle and his yellow teeth glistened with eager anticipation. Suddenly Candice felt a burning sensation in her throat. The shadows of Scraunch's dark aura were flowing from his hand and spiraling around her. Candice gritted her teeth against the burning pain but it didn't last long. The shadows forced their way into her mouth and the ice guardian let out a scream as the darkness began to fill her insides.

The noise hurt Flame and Ember's ears. They cringed from the shrill noise and struggled to free themselves from the grasp of the apes that held them.

"Flame, help her!" Ember pleaded when she managed to shake off one hand that held her mouth closed. She struggled against the pressing force but found herself to be too weak to break free of her restrainers.

"I'm trying!" Flame shouted, struggling as hard as he could. He could feel the burning of hatred deep inside him. Hatred towards Liun, Malefor, Scraunch and the wolves. They had caused him so much pain and suffering. They had taken his grandfather's life in front of his very eyes and now were using it to have their way with the world. "You're going to suffer for this!" Flame glared at Liun as his temper and body temperature rose. "I'm going to kill you myself!"

Liun glanced at the fire guardian as Flame let out an agonized roar. A deep crimson aura exploded from his body and obliterated the apes holding him down. Liun shielded his eyes with his wing from the bright, hot energy. He looked back at Flame who had his teeth bared and wings spread wide in open challenge. Glowing flame-like markings tattooed his hide and his eyes burned with the same red energy.

"Well, this is interesting." The dark dragon snickered. "Come at me if you dare."

"Gladly!" Flame bellowed and lunged for Liun. The black dragon only laughed and struck Flame in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall, leaving a deep impact crater in the dense marble.

Ember let out a horrified scream as her mate's battered body fell to the ground in a bloody heap. Flame coughed on his own blood and stared up at Liun as he walked over to him.

"H-how? How were you..."

"Able to see you coming? It's easy," Liun muttered and brought his mouth down beside Flame's head. "I can feel the darkness and hate in your heart. Your movements and intentions are readable like an open book, Flame. Thus every move you make is like a telegraphed hand signal."

"D-damn you," Flame groaned before coughing hard, spattering the floor with his blood and passing out.

"No!" Ember screamed; thrashing even harder with energy she didn't know she had.

Scraunch dropped Candice and the dragoness lay convulsing on the floor. Liun smiled as the last wisps of dark magic disappeared inside her open mouth before turning his maniacal eyes on Ember.

"And then there was one, my dear."

Spyro and Cynder descended the mountains beyond the boundaries of Warfang. The only sound was the wind blowing and rocks falling below their feet; even Sparx was unusually quiet. When they reached the ground they stopped to rest and gather their energy. The others wouldn't arrive until much later that day at the earliest.

After a long night of disturbed sleep the three of them woke to a dull mist resting over the land. Spyro yawned and stood up before closing his eyes again.

"Do you sense anything?" Cynder asked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Yeah," Spyro nodded. "They're here."

"Well that's just great." Sparx rolled his eyes. "Took 'em long enough."

The sounds of footsteps reached their ears. The silhouettes of tall, lean figures could be seen drawing closer. On instinct, Cynder and Sparx tensed their muscles. Then, slowly, the warriors of the cheetah tribe emerged from the mist.

"Hunter!" Cynder exclaimed and ran over to meet the scout as soon as she saw him. She glanced up to see Chief Prowlus staring down at her. Much to her surprise he smiled and nodded respectfully.

"It's good to see you all made it," Stella chirped, walking up from the rear. She was fully healed now and walking was no longer an issue for her.

"Not everyone," Tremor replied darkly. The others turned to see him standing at the edge of the forest, the moles and manweersmalls rushing to greet the Avalarians and remaining guardians. The earth guardian looked like a dragon at the end of his limit and Stella couldn't help but walk over and nuzzle him affectionately under his chin the way she had seen Candice do so many times before. The green dragon growled slightly, not as a way to shoo her away but to show his appreciation for the gesture.

"It's going to be okay," Stella whispered in his ear. "It's not over until we say it is."

"You got that right." Tremor growled. "I'm getting my dragoness back, even if it kills me."

Stella looked at him with a worried stare. Tremor only smiled at her. "What can I say? I like my Candy."

Stella giggled softly but she couldn't help but ponder Tremor's words.

"Is everyone here?" Spyro asked after everyone had gotten a chance to rest.

"As much as we can be," Chief Prowlus sighed. "It's a damned shame we left when we did. Perhaps if we had stayed behind we may have been able to help you defend your city better."

"You shouldn't blame yourself." Cynder comforted. "You were looking after your people. Like any good leader should."

The Chieftain's eyes drooped. "But we are also your allies. We should have waited for your return."

"Cynder's right." Tremor agreed, taking a step forward. "You had no idea things would be this way and neither did we. But that's the past. Right now we have to think of taking our city back."

"Agreed." Spyro nodded. "We have a tough battle ahead of us. More so than any of us have ever faced before. The Dark Master has returned to power and he feels stronger than ever. But regardless of that, we've always pulled through before. We faced his armies. The golems of the deep. The destroyer who brought about the end of the world." Spyro and Cynder shared a private glance. "And even after we faced Malefor himself and brought him to his knees we all survived what we thought would be the end. I'm sorry to say we have to face the possible end again. But I know that we're going to make it through."

"It's our duty as guardians to protect this world and those who live in it," Tremor recited as his mentors had taught him before.

"But we can't do it alone," Cynder added before looking around the cluster of warriors before them. "We have you all as our allies, our brothers in arms and most importantly our friends. We've shared good times and bad. And I hope that after today we can continue to have good times together in an age of peace."

"You've all helped us protect this world, no matter how seemingly little the task has been." Spyro continued. "I want you all to remember what you were fighting for then and think of it now. We need to keep our strength in our hearts and souls. Our guardians may be gone but we are the birth of this new age; an age of heroes. We are legends in our own time and we have to continue to fight on for future generations so they may enjoy what we are fighting to protect."

"What are we fighting for?!" Tremor bellowed over the purple dragon's speech.

"Peace! Freedom! Happiness!" The troops chanted in unison.

"Today, we fight for our Ancestors!" Stella hollered and another cheer went up.

Spyro smiled thankfully. "Today, we end the Dark Master's reign of terror."

The guardians soared over the hills towards the dragon city. Down below the cheetahs slipped rapidly through the dense forest while the manweersmalls tunneled below the ground with the mole troops close behind.

High up in the city towers Liun stood patiently as he saw the guardians in the distance. He turned to the three figures in the shadows behind him. "Get into position." He ordered. They bowed and disappeared from sight. The dark dragon smiled as he watched Spyro and the others draw closer to the city walls. "So, it begins." He reared his head back and let out a thunderous roar, shooting dark lightning into the sky.

"Looks like he's expecting us," Stella muttered darkly.

"Surprise, surprise there," Sparx grumbled as he fluttered to keep up with his brother and Cynder. Tremor's brow furrowed into a serious scowl.

"Hang on Candice," He whispered in his mind. "I'm coming for you."


	29. Chapter 29

"We're getting close," Spyro called to Tremor, Cynder and Stella as the ground rushed by beneath them.

"You think they're expecting us?" Sparx asked as he peered ahead. "I don't see him coming to give us a warm hospitable welcome."

"No sooner had the dragonfly spoken than the hum of beating wings buzzed through the air and a swarm of black dragons rose up from the city. The corrupted beasts screeched loudly and headed straight for the approaching guardians.

"Sparx, when will you ever learn to keep your big mouth shut?" Tremor demanded.

"Sparx when will you learn to keep your... like you're one to talk!" The dragonfly shot back. Tremor shut his mouth and glowered at him before turning back to the oncoming mass of dragons.

"This is going to get ugly." Stella bit her lip nervously.

"Stay focused," Tremor muttered. "We can do this. It's no worse than what we've dealt with the past couple months. We'll take these guys down if it means saving the world."

"Just remember they're Malefor's puppets," Cynder reminded him. "It's okay to hurt them but don't kill them."

"Roger." Stella and Tremor nodded.

The black dragons were closing fast over the city and were nearly to the outer wall.

"Get ready!" Spyro hollered as they came within two hundred yards. Just before the guardians were about to split and break up the swarm, a thunderous roar echoed through the air. The rumbling sounds carried for miles and seemed to come from all around. The dragons in the air froze and looked around in surprise.

Suddenly from out of the clouds dropped Magnitus and the elders of Certrona. The elders were followed by an enormous throng of dragons.

"Is that Magnitus?" Cynder gasped. The lightning elder roared, catching the enemy black dragons by surprise. They screeched in fright and scattered, bumping into each other in the air and hissing and clawing at one another to get out of each other's way.

"Charge!" Magnitus bellowed and his fellow dragons engaged the black dragons. Another roar came from the forest behind the guardians, who turned to see the woods come alive with dragons taking wing. The sky was instantly darkened by the hundreds of dragons that charged towards the dragon city of Warfang.

"It's the eastern and western cities!" Tremor exclaimed as the dragons began to rush past them.

"Spyro!" A voice called and the purple dragon turned to see Magnitus fly down to them alongside Tyrannica.

"Magnitus, you came!" The purple dragon gasped in excitement.

"Indeed," the elder nodded. "It wasn't long after you requested our assistance that we gathered our forces and left our home to come protect yours."

"You knew about this?" Stella raised a questioning brow at Spyro who blushed sheepishly.

"I figured we could use all the help we could get. Never be afraid to ask for help, right?" He glanced at Cynder who nodded, seeing that he had learned a valuable lesson from Exile during his training.

"We have to get through to the main temple," Spyro continued. "If you can clear us a path we'll be able to confront Malefor and Liun a lot sooner and not waste our energy fighting these small fish."

"We will do our best." Magnitus and Tyrannica nodded. The lightning elder turned and roared towards the dragons of his city. They broke off from the black dragons, giving them the chance they needed to regroup. "Listen, all of you! We must force our way through the city and get our guardians to the temple! Let's make way for them! Group one! Keep those black dragons busy! Group two, you're in charge of helping drive those mangy beasts out of the city!" Magnitus looked towards the city as the wolves spilled out of the shadow between the buildings. The dragons from the eastern and western cities were landing in all parts of the city and engaging the wolves.

As the guardians flew through the cluster of black dragons, the second group of Certronian dragons dove towards the ground. Among them were Zephyr and Plax leading the way since they were somewhat familiar with the dragon city. Zephyr curled around Plax and surrounded them with earth energy. The two dragons dropped like a green meteor and struck the ground with crushing force, sending wolves and debris flying. Zephyr destroyed the barrier, allowing Plax to unleash a wave of fire through the courtyard. The wolves that didn't get away were instantly burned to a crisp. The other dragons gathered around them and began unleashing their breath attacks across the courtyard. The wolves fled deeper into the city and the dragons took chase.

"Wait for me!" A familiar voice called. Cynder froze and looked up to see a black raptor dragon gliding down towards them with Leafwind and Singe close by.

"M-Max?" Cynder gasped as she flew after Spyro. "You're... alive... but..."

"Thanks to Candice I suppose." The raptor shrugged. His sides were stitched up and had medicinal rinds covering his wounds. "Freezing me like that I guess put me into a state of suspended animation so I was able to heal partly until the others caught up." He glanced at Singe and Leafwind.

Cynder was about to cry from sheer relief that her friend was alright when an enemy black dragon dove at them after kicking away a large white dragon. Max hissed and fired a ball of shadow fire, striking the black dragon in the chest and knocking it back. The white dragon hollered thankfully and reengaged his target.

"Come on!" Another voice shouted. "We're going to clear you a path!" Stella perked up and glanced up to see a crimson dragon with golden belly scales and pitch-black horns swoop towards them.

"Infernus!" She was extremely surprised but still excited to see him. The red dragon still had his wounds from the battle of Certrona but he was proving himself not to be a gimp any longer.

"Stella! Follow me!" Infernus called as he shot past them, breathing a cloud of fire causing all other dragons to scatter. "Out of my way you pests! My lady wants through!" Stella giggled to herself as she and the other guardians followed quickly before the black dragons could regroup on them. Max, Singe and Leafwind brought up the rear breathing fire and clouds of shadow fire to cover their tracks. Leafwind fended off the black dragons that managed to get too close with powerful bursts of earth energy that sent them spinning out of control.

Down on the ground Plax and Zephyr led their friends through the city streets, not being very discrete in the path of destruction they left. A group of wolves ducked into cover around the corner of a building. Zephyr slammed his paw against the ground, sending the wolves flying into the air. A young grey-blue dragoness somersaulted into the air and breathed a strong gust of wind. The blast sent the wolves spinning through the air across the city where they landed in a twisted, mangled heap of broken bones. The dragoness, Shard, landed gracefully on the ground and turned her eyes on several of the wolves who turned to flee from her inside a building. The dragoness took in a deep breath and roared with all her might into the building. The force of the wind blast blew out the back wall, sending wolves and stone debris flying. Shard snorted and looked pretty proud of herself, this being her second real life combat experience.

Zephyr whistled to himself, impressed by the weather dragoness. A shadow looked over Shard and Zephyr snapped out of his trance. The mutant wolf sprang off the rooftop with its blade aiming to rip Shard in half. Zephyr gave a powerful kick of his legs and propelled himself forward. He tackled Shard just as the blade plunged into the ground.

"I've got you covered!" A black dragon with red horns called and slammed into the side of the mutant's face. The wolf staggered and turned his wicked eyes on the young dragon before getting a face full of flames.

Zephyr looked down at Shard whose head he cupped in his front paws. "H-hey," He stammered.

Shard was still surprised at being tackled out of the way but she gazed up at him flirtatiously. "Hey yourself big boy."

Zephyr's cheeks flushed. "Are you alright?"

"I am." Shard smiled, pulling her front paws up to her chest, exposing her soft teal belly scales. "Thanks to you."

Zephyr swallowed hard. "Err... um... you're welcome... Just, um... didn't want to see you get hurt."

"Oh, is that it?" Shard chuckled. She and Zephyr glanced over to see the black dragon ram the wolf in the gut and send him into the air. A moment later the black dragon fired a concentrated beam of shadow fire, blowing his opponent in half. He turned around, convinced that his enemy was down for good and smiled at the two dragons.

"If you two are done having your way with each other, I think we should get back to the battle at hand," He teased.

Zephyr's heart skipped a beat and his cheeks burned even more. "Uh, y-yeah. Thanks Spyke." He looked down at Shard who had her paw over her mouth trying to keep from bursting with laughter. "Maybe we should get going." Zephyr swallowed hard as he gazed down at her again.

"If you're done admiring me then yes I think we should." Shard teased with a flirty glimmer in her eye. Zephyr nearly choked on his own air as he stepped off of her. When Shard was on her feet she glanced over her shoulder at Zephyr. "Thanks for the save. I'll have to return the favor sometime." She flashed him a wink before charging off down the streets towards another combat zone, leaving Zephyr paralyzed in awe of her.

Infernus roared and breathed another cloud of fire. The black dragons scattered again as the guardians closed in on the main temple.

"Don't let them through!" One of the black dragons hollered but was instantly struck by a shadow bomb from Max. The guardians landed on the large platform at the top of the stairs and ran towards the main hallway. Infernus, Max, Leafwind and Singe turned to face the few black dragons that rushed towards them. Singe, Max and Infernus released a strong blast of fire, burning the air and singeing the delicate wing membranes of the black dragons. The black beasts yelped and fell back, beating their burned wings in the cooling air.

"Go on!" Leafwind ordered. "We'll hold them off here! You have a job to get done!"

"Just be careful!" Stella hollered and Infernus turned to catch her eye.

"We will." He smiled. "You do the same. I want to see you after all this is over."

"Don't worry; you'll see plenty of me when we're finished." Stella flashed him a seductive wink.

"Stella, come on!" Tremor called before ducking into the shadows of the temple. Stella gave one last glance at Infernus before chasing after her comrades. The red dragon sighed sadly but then another shriek grabbed his attention. Down below, wolves were scrambling up the stairs towards them.

"Wow." Leafwind gulped. "That's... a lot of wolves."

"Yeah." Max agreed then turned to his friend. "We can't fight at our best in our condition. We'll need more help."

"I'm on it." Infernus inhaled and turned his head to the sky, unleashing a spiraling tower of fire to signal the other dragons for help.

High in the sky, a black dragon with green stripes spotted the signal and head-butted the black dragon he was latched onto. The blow stunned the creature and he grabbed its tail before swinging it around and hurling it into a trio of his teammates. "Hey Ladies!" Drac shouted to a pair of blue dragonesses. The girls turned their wild, excited eyes towards him and he jerked his head towards the signal. "Come on; we're being hailed!"

"Yay! More fighting!" The light blue dragoness chirped excitedly.

"Wait for me!" The other hollered. The three dragons dove towards the wolves coming up the stairs. They each let out a trembling roar and halted the wolves' attack for a brief moment. The canines all looked around curiously before looking to the sky. Drac and the two girls had the sun to their back and by the time the wolves spotted them it was too late. The dragons fired a pulse of their energy, stunning the wolves. The beasts froze in shock as the dragons shot by. A second later the stairs exploded, sending the first wave tumbling to their deaths. The three dragons pitched up towards the upper platform outside the main temple and fluttered to a landing.

"Alou to the rescue." The light blue dragoness laughed as she set down nimbly onto the stone.

"That should buy us a little time." Drac huffed as he looked down at the mutant wolves leaping over the gap in the staircase.

"Thanks for the help," Infernus sighed as he caught his breath. "We should be able to hold them off ourselves now."

"You really think so?" The other blue dragoness asked raising a brow at him.

"Don't tell me you're scared, Asin," Max teased.

Asin glared at him; she had always considered the older dragon as her personal rival. "I'm not scared of anything!" She protested. "Except about how many baddies I'll kill before you even realize what's going on."

"I won't have to worry because I can outclass you any day of the week." Max snickered, knowing that he was getting under her scales.

"Well I'll leave all of you mama's boys in the dust when I get started," Alou jumped in, not wanting to be left out of the competition."

"Enough, you three!" Drac snapped. "Save it for the enemy! Because here they come!" The black dragon turned as the approaching mutant wolves let out an eerie howl before lunging towards the dragons.

"This place gives me the creeps now," Sparx whispered in Spyro's ear.

"Stay sharp." Cynder hissed. "We're not on our own turf in this place. It just reeks of darkness."

"Tell me about it." Stella muttered as a chill ran down her spine, rattling her scales. As the guardians crept down the darkened hallway, Tremor's senses picked up movement overhead. He turned his eyes towards the ceiling to see dozens of green eyes staring down at them.

"Shadows!" He shouted. Everyone looked up as the apes dropped from the ceiling with wild shrieks of delight. Tremor fired an earth bullet, catching most of them in the blast before the energy hit the ceiling. The roof exploded and the rubble fell towards the young dragons. Tremor realized what he did and shot his legs out to either side. Stone slabs burst from the wall covering their heads as the last apes slammed onto the ledge before being crushed below the debris.

"Move, now!" Spyro ordered ad rushed past Tremor who had his paws pressed against the bottom of the slabs trying to hold them up. Cynder, Sparx and Stella dove out from under their temporary cover and Tremor rolled after them as the ceiling and walls caved in behind them.

"Th-that was close." Tremor gasped.

"Well I guess we won't be going out the same way we came in." Sparx said flatly.

"I don't think you'll be going out at all unless it's in tiny pieces," an angry voice hissed. The guardians turned around and the chamber suddenly became illuminated with blue fire. The young dragons all gasped in surprise and Tremor's heart skipped a beat.

"C-Candice." He squeaked.

The ice dragoness smiled evilly at him. "Hello, Tremor, dear. Long time no see." Her eyes were filled with pure hate when her fierce gaze locked with Tremor's. The whites of Candice's eyes were as dark as the night with her violet irises containing cat-like slits in them. Dark markings were tattooed across her scales and layers of ice had gathered on her to form a dense, protective armor.

"Candice..." Tremor wheezed, taking a step towards her. "What have they done to you?" He was in shock and trembling all over. She looked nothing like the dragoness he had known before.

Candice ignored him and turned her eyes on Spyro. "Master Malefor is at the back of the temple, Spyro. If you want to get to him you're going to have to get past me first." Her evil grin spread across her snout, showing her glistening teeth. "And even if you should manage that, you'll still have two other opponents to get past before you reach Malefor."

"Flame and Ember," Spyro muttered darkly and lowered his head, not in defeat but in preparation for an attack.

"Spyro, we don't have time to waste on her," Cynder whispered. "It's one of Malefor's traps to tire us out."

"Gee Cynder, we could have figured that out." Sparx rolled his eyes. "But how do you suggest we get past her? I mean, she's ready to kill us if we so much as look at her funny."

"Run!" Spyro shouted and bolted around Candice towards the next hall.

"No escape!" Candice snarled and whirled on the guardians. Her icy energy billowed around her and she fired a volley of ice spikes aimed dead at Spyro. The purple dragon winced, expecting the stabbing pain to hit his side. The ground shook and a wall of marble burst up knocking the spikes away. The guardians paused to see Tremor standing behind them, his gaze still fixed on Candice.

"Tremor, come on!" Stella called.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Tremor snapped. "She's mine. And I'm going to bring her back."

"Tremor, you can't do anything for her unless we defeat the Dark Master!" Cynder protested.

"Trust me, Cynder," Tremor gave her a superior smirk. "If anyone knows how to get to Candice, it's me. Now go!"

The guardians hesitated before turning back down the hall.

"I said there's no escape!" Dark Candice shrieked and leaped over the wall after them. Tremor thrust his paw forward, knocking over the marble wall and sending the stones smashing against the far wall, cutting Candice off. The ice dragoness breathed a cloud of ice at the stone, furious that she had been deprived of her trophies. When she saw she couldn't get through she settled down and slowly turned towards the earth guardian. "Fine. If you're in such a hurry to die, who am I to reject your wish?"

"Oh believe me, Candy," Tremor chuckled as he began to glow with energy. "I don't plan on dying until I have you back."

"Oh?" Candice tilted her head. "How is that?"

"Because I love you. And I'd do anything to protect you from harm," Tremor answered in his most sincere voice.

Dark Candice seemed to freeze up. Tremor noticed and his grin widened.

Tremor, you pebble-brained idiot. Candice almost laughed inside her own mind. Dark Candice shook her head and hissed menacingly. "You're not going to have anything to look forward to then. Because I'm going to cut your heart out for myself and eat it before your dying eyes!"

Tremor only scoffed at her and placed a paw over his heart. "Oh! I'm hurt!" He whimpered sarcastically. "I seriously doubt that my sweet, sweet Candy."

"Don't call me that!" Dark Candice snapped and her energy erupted in a spiraling blizzard. The ice and snow covered the walls and Tremor immediately felt the temperature drop and he began to shiver even more. He backed up against the pile of ice-encrusted debris and curled into a ball, fighting against the extreme cold.

"I should have done this a long time ago." Dark Candice laughed when she saw the earth dragon already weakening.

Oh no! Tremor, run! Candice cried. Dark Candice hissed a cloud of frost and lunged for his throat.

Spyro, Cynder and Stella huffed along down the hall with Sparx lighting the way.

"Who do you think is next?" Cynder gasped as they neared the end of the hall. "Flame? Or Ember?"

"My guess would be Ember." Sparx pondered aloud. "She would be the most likely to seduce Spyro like she used to and then stab him in the back when he's not looking."

"Sparx!" Stella snapped.

"Hey, I'm just putting it out there." The dragonfly waved. "After all we've been through with the Dark Master, it seems like it would be his most likely tactic."

"Well we're about to find out if you're right, Sparx," Cynder muttered when they came across the next chamber. The guardians shielded their eyes from the light before noticing the body slumped in a pile in the middle of the room.

"I guess you were right Sparx." Stella narrowed her eyes at Ember's limp body. "But something doesn't feel right here."

"I agree." Spyro nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on the pink dragoness in the middle of the room. Slowly they approached her expecting her to leap up at any moment and attack them.

Just then a screech cut through the room and the guardians looked up as more apes dropped from the ceiling. Cynder hissed menacingly spat a glob of acid, melting the apes before they could even hit the floor. Spyro grabbed Ember and rolled out of the way as the remaining globs of venom rained down to the floor, sizzling into the marble.

The pink dragoness moaned and her eyelids twitched.

"Ember?" Spyro whispered hoping to wake her up.

"Sp-Spyro..." Ember whimpered softly.

"Ember, is that you?" Spyro was waiting for her to open her eyes so he could see if she had been corrupted like Candice. His eyes drifted down to her heart-shaped pendant and his eyes widened. The ruby crystal had been tainted black and Spyro dropped the pink dragoness before jumping back.

"Spyro!" Cynder gasped taking a step towards him but Spyro held up a wing.

"She's one of them." The purple dragon gritted his teeth in anger. Cynder, Stella and Sparx watched as Ember rose to her feet and opened her eyes. Like Candice's they were jet black with feral slits for pupils.

"I suppose I'll handle this," Stella sighed, stepping in front of Spyro and Cynder.

"I don't want you, bitch!" Ember spat a glob of fire that burned at Stella's feet. "I want Spyro!"

Stella raised a brow, nonplussed by the fire breather's remark, and looked down at the burning glob of saliva. She raised a paw and stamped out the flame without so much as harming herself. "Oh, believe me, Ember, I can be much more of a bitch than you could ever imagine." She turned to Spyro and Cynder. "You guys go on. I'll deal with her myself."

"Do you think that's wise?" Cynder asked worriedly.

"I'll be fine," Stella replied with a big grin on her face and Cynder felt a shiver run down her back. It was a look of innocence but with a deep underlying personality that no one would want to tangle with.

Sparx only chuckled when he recognized the look. "I guess every rose has its thorns huh?"

"Get moving, you three." Stella gave them a head thrust towards the next hall. "We'll catch up in a little bit."

"Be careful, Stella," Spyro cautioned her before turning to run ahead.

Stella only laughed as she watched them disappear down the next corridor. "I'm not the one who needs to worry about being careful." She fixed her golden eyes on Ember. "Well, then. Are you ready for me, Ember?"

"Yes..." Ember started and immediately was struck with a crushing force in the chest. The pink dragoness screamed and slammed into the wall, cracking the stone.

"Good," Stella chirped innocently with a smile to match her fake attitude. "Now get up. I know you're not hurt from a hit like that."

Ember grinned. "I guess I can't hide anything from you, huh, Stella."

The lightning guardian only smiled more which seemed to irritate Ember even more. The pink dragoness hissed and charged Stella. The guardian waited for the last possible second before side-stepping her opponent, tripping her with her tail. Ember fell face first onto the hard floor and slid across the room.

"Oops." Stella chuckled behind her wing as Ember picked herself up again.

"You bitch!" Ember growled and whirled around, spewing a wave of fire directly at Stella. The guardian extended a wing and emitted an electrical charge before thrusting her wing to the side, dispersing the flames completely. Ember gasped in surprise and her jaw fell open.

"Believe me, honey." Stella smirked. Electricity crackled between her teeth and Ember felt her blood run cold. "I'm not even getting started at being a bitch."

"Flame should be just ahead," Cynder panted.

"Cynder, I want you be careful," Spyro warned her. "Flame is one of the more powerful guardians."

"If you're worried about that weird red, flashy power he has, I think Cynder can handle it," Sparx reassured. "I think she's more than capable. Right Cynder?"

"Of course." Cynder nodded. "You don't have to worry too much Spyro. I'll be careful." She leaned her neck towards his and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I still have a whole life to live with you. I'm not going anywhere."

"Took you guys long enough!" Flame bellowed when the three friends entered the chamber. The fire guardian stood poised and ready for combat. His eyes were completely black with no iris visible and his red markings burned against his hide. Crimson energy radiated from his scales, casting a savage glow about the room.

"Let's skip the formalities Flame," Cynder snarled leaping forward. "Your opponent will be me."

"Oh?" Flame raised a perplexed brow before glancing at the purple dragon. "I suppose I'll go with that. We never did finish our fight two years ago anyways."

Cynder was surprised by the remark but retained her composure. She hissed and lashed the air with her tail blade, spreading her wings wide in open challenge. Flame narrowed his eyes at her and a split second later, Cynder lunged. She swiped at Flame with her long talons but the fire breather tilted his head to avoid the strike. Cynder smirked and curled her self sideways, slamming her tail across Flame's face. The fire guardian flew back, bouncing across the floor before slumping against the opposite wall.

"Go!" Cynder shouted to Spyro and Sparx. "I'll meet up with you guys as soon as I can!"

"R-right!" Spyro nodded and sprinted down the hall again.

As Cynder watched him disappear she suddenly felt a sick, sinking feeling in her gut and a sense of despair began to settle over her. "Be careful, Spyro," She whispered. Flame's roar brought her back to reality. The fire breather tackled Cynder to the ground and struck her across the face with his claws. Cynder fell and looked up as the red dragon loomed over her, an energy ball blazing in the back of his throat.

"This is it, Sparx," Spyro muttered as he came to the final chamber of the temple. "You should probably wait here for me."

"No way, man." Sparx crossed his arms and shook his head defiantly. "I've been by your side from the beginning to now. I couldn't go with you when you first kicked purple boy's butt the first time, so you owe it to me to stay by you this time."

"Sparx, it's too dangerous," Spyro protested. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Hey, we've been through worse haven't we? Besides. What ever happened to me always going with you? I thought we were buddies Spyro." Sparx's antennae drooped sadly. His shoulders slumped and he hung his head.

Spyro sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright Sparx, you win. But if it gets too dicey in there... I want you to promise me you'll escape and get Cynder. Ok?"

"I promise." Sparx smiled and crossed his thorax. Spyro nodded gratefully and turned back towards the chamber ahead. Sparx smiled slyly. "Works every time," He mumbled to himself.

Spyro walked towards the room as the echoes of roars and shrieks rang in his ears behind him. He shook the noise out of his head and focused on the task at hand. This was where he had to finish this madness. It was time to face his destiny once again.

The brothers entered the chamber and cold wind caused them to shiver. Shadows leaped out from the walls, causing Sparx to shriek and grab onto his brother's horn.

"Welcome back, Spyro," Liun's voice echoed about the room. "I must say that you got here much faster than I anticipated." So either you've gotten stronger... or your allies have been giving you more support than expected."

"Both, actually." Spyro narrowed his eyes into the darkness. He could sense the presence of the Dark Master all around him but the evil energy was emanating from a concentrated spot. Liun was watching them, that much he was certain. The dark dragon thought he had the advantage, but Spyro's thoughts reflected back to his training; he didn't need his physical eyes to see anymore.

"Well I suppose some things never change," Malefor's voice took over. "Your friends and allies have always put up one useless struggle after another. This time I won't make the error of letting you off so easily."

"Liun, you don't have to do this," Spyro muttered. "You can fight the Dark Master. Cynder did. You can too. It doesn't have to end with unnecessary death."

"Hm..." Liun seemed to ponder his words in the darkness. Spyro held his breath, hoping to the ancestors that there wouldn't have to be any more losses. "I think I'll decline," Liun replied. "I've always wanted power and after so much waiting and hard work, I finally have it." He let out an evil laugh and Spyro's heart sank.

"You tried buddy." Sparx pat him on the head. "But there's nothing you can do to convince him otherwise."

"You know, there's one thing I learned from the elders of the eastern city. Patience really does pay off." Liun laughed.

"And you're not sorry for it? All the lives you've destroyed. The lives you've taken without regard. They mean nothing to you?"

"Yeah!" Sparx pointed a punishing finger into the darkness at random. "You treat others like the dirt beneath your feet!"

"Mmmm, I think I'd treat the dirt better." Liun laughed.

"You have no remorse for anyone and you hold yourself above others despite the pain you inflict on them!" Spyro spread his wings and a tremor rushed through his body. "I won't let you get away with it any longer!" A roar burst from Spyro's throat and his brilliant golden aura erupted from his body. The shadows vanished instantly, revealing Liun sitting at the other end of the room. The dark dragon and Dark Master gasped in surprise as their energy was dissolved in the light of the dragon before them. Spyro's purple scales flashed before turning silver, leaving the single violet stripe down his back along his spines.

"What the...!" Liun shielded his eyes behind his wing as the light blinded him. When the glare died away, Spyro stood erect with his chest thrust out in front of him and his wings folded back in a heroic posture. Malefor's eyes widened and his jaw dropped before curling into a hostile grin.

"It seems like I'm not the only one who has reached a new level of power."

"You have no idea," Sparx snapped and backed away cautiously.

"Ahrg!" Tremor cried as he was slammed full force into the wall. He opened his eyes and jerked out of the way just before Candice's tail blade punctured the stone where his chest had been a split second before. The earth dragon rolled away as the dragoness breathed a cloud of ice. Tremor leaped into the air and fired an earth bullet at the dark dragoness below. Candice sprang over the blast before the floor erupted in a cloud of dust and debris. Tremor's eyes widened and he shrouded himself in stone as Candice struck with her long talons. Her claws left deep groves in the stone and she hissed in irritation. She breathed another cloud of ice, freezing over the rock with a dense layer of ice before smacking it into the floor. Inside his barrier, Tremor bounced and rolled until the ball came to a stop. Another roar reached his ears and he felt the temperature inside begin to drop drastically as Candice froze the boulder from the outside. Tremor slammed against the rock, trying to break free.

Dark Candice landed and walked up to the frozen boulder, more ice gathering on the marble floor with each step she took. "I hope you'll appreciate what I'm doing for you, Tremor." She sneered as she pressed a paw against the frozen stone. The temperature inside should be almost below zero. I'm sure by now you're noticing that the air is growing more stale, much faster and your body is going to start shutting down any moment now. So I'm giving you the ability to rest in peace rather than ripping you apart like I had originally planned. "

Deep inside her own mind, the real Candice was screaming out to her mate. Come on Tremor! Fight! I know I always complain about you being stubborn but now is one of those times where I need you to be! Fight back!

"Don't do me any favors Candy," Tremor muttered to himself. His eyes began to close as he drifted into a state of relaxation. The barrier began to glow with Tremor's energy and the temple started to shake. The ice covering the barrier cracked and Candice stepped back. A moment later the ice shattered, sending shards peppering her sides. The dragoness growled at the pins and needles hitting her hide and brushed away the dust and frost that hung in the air.

Tremor stood facing her with his wings spread wide. "Come on Candy. I now you're a much better fighter than that. Or did being corrupted by Liun make you weaker? I know your attacks aren't that pathetic."

"You dare insult my power?" Candice snarled and her eyes flashed with frosty energy.

"Damn right!" Tremor sneered. "You're always so high and mighty about how well you've been trained by the guardians. How about you put your money where your mouth is!"

Candice laughed. "You think you can match up to me Tremor? You who never even so much as fought an aerial battle before, believe you can go talon to talon with me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you talking as a way to make up an excuse to weasel your way out? I guess I shouldn't be surprised of such a thing from a kiss-ass like you. I wouldn't be surprised if you were scared of how bad I'd spank you in a fight!" Tremor smirked and flashed her a wink. "And I don't mean spank in a good way either."

Candice's cheeks flushed and she curled her lips showing her teeth. "How dare you speak to me like that, you insignificant pauper! I'm far greater a dragon than you could ever hope to be!"

Tremor yawned in defiance. "Sticks and stones Candy. Sticks and stones."

Candice's face was beginning to turn red with anger. Her teeth were grinding viciously and she was trembling with rage. "You... I'll kill you!" Candice rushed him head on, her feet beating hard against the floor. Tremor smirked and gave a slight hop before slamming his front paws into the stone floor. A slab of marble burst up from under Candice and catapulted her into the air. The dragoness yelped in surprise and spun to get her bearings. She stopped spinning and came to hover over Tremor's head while he was nearly on his back laughing at her.

"Come on, Candy, you should have seen that one coming a mile away! The dragoness I know would have been able to counter that without any effort. I'm starting to think you have gotten weaker."

Candice's face was burning red. "Stop calling me that!" She shouted and spat a volley of ice spears at him. Tremor stood his ground before spinning around and shattering them with his clubbed tail.

"You'll have to do better than that, sweetheart, if you ever hope to beat me. Which you can't, so I don't know why you bother." Tremor shrugged and started to pick his nose.

Yeah! That's the way Tremor! You can do it! Candice cheered. She could feel the darkness losing its grip on her the more Tremor taunted the evil entity that possessed her body.

"If you're so high and mighty then why aren't you even attacking?" Candice demanded trying to get a hold of her temper.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Tremor scoffed. "I mean, fighting girls is below me." He narrowed his eyes at her. "But then again, I know girls who put up a better fight than you do."

"Why, you little...!" Candice reared her head back and fired a beam of pure ice energy. Tremor sprang into the air and rammed Candice in the chest with his horns. The dragoness coughed and bent her head forward, freezing one of Tremor's wings in the process. The earth guardian gave a startled gasp before falling to the ground.

Candice laughed at him when he looked at his frozen limb.

"And here you were calling me inferior. What a joke. You can't hope to fight me now with only one wing."

"Whatever, it's no big deal." Tremor shrugged with a haughty smirk. "I'm an earth dragon, remember? We fight on the ground. As long as I stay down here, I have the advantage in this fight."

"Y-you're bluffing!" Candice snapped. "I have the advantage. I can fly. I'm at the ideal attacking level. What could you possibly do to attack me without me dodging it?"

"I'm glad you asked." Tremor chuckled again and tapped a claw on the marble. Candice tilted her head curiously and a second later a rock from the ceiling struck her on top of the head. The force wasn't enough to stun her but it was enough to get her to look up at the ceiling and that's just what Tremor wanted. He lunged for her and grabbed her out of the air. Candice, however, was quicker to retaliate this time and hissed in his face. Tremor's eyes watered against the stinging ice particles but he forced his eyes to stay open. Candice beat her wings hard, trying to stay aloft as the two guardians slashed and bit one another; Tremor trying to bring her down, Candice trying to kick him off.

At last Candice clamped her jaws around Tremor's right foreleg and shook her head. Tremor reared back and squalled in pain as the skin was torn to shreds. Candice jabbed him hard in the gut with her elbow barb and slammed him against the wall with her tail. Tremor's eyes widened on shock from the impact and his world spun out of control. Candice coughed once, freezing him to the wall before slamming into him feet first.

Tremor looked up as Candice brought her snout to his. "What have you to say now, guardian?"

Tremor smiled and caught Candice off guard. He jerked his head forward and pressed his lips to hers. Candice squealed in surprise and yanked away from the lip lock while Tremor laughed.

"Gotcha, Candy." He laughed. He flexed his body and the ice shattered; however the ice around his wounded foreleg remained in tact. The chill was already making the limb go numb but Tremor didn't care; he wouldn't need it to finish this battle.

"Ew, gross! That was disgusting!" Candice spat and sputtered and shook her head in disgust. "Why would you do something like that in a fight?"

"It's called getting the drop on your opponent," Tremor whispered seductively coming up behind her. Candice's eyes widened and her limbs froze up. The earth dragon stretched out his tongue and grazed her neck causing her to whirl around with a flurry of talons, missing his face by centimeters. Tremor licked his lips and gave her his most sexual stare. Dark Candice's face felt like it was on fire. Inside the confines of her own mind, Candice fell speechless. She couldn't believe what he had just done to her; in the middle of a fight of all things. But whatever strategy he had concocted, it felt like it was working. The entity was losing its grip.

"S-stop doing that!" Candice stammered, the hate in her black eyes still very apparent.

"Aw, what for?" Tremor pretended to be hurt. "I thought you liked it when I did that. Or..." He drifted down to the floor and stood on his hind legs and held his front paws out as if he were holding her in front of him. "Would you prefer this, Candy?"

Tremor! Candice snapped in disgust. What are you thinking? Bringing that up in a place like this?

Dark Candice shrieked in rage and dove at the earth dragon. She slammed head on into Tremor, knocking the wind out of him and pinning him to the wall.

"Gotcha again." Tremor laughed and gave her another kiss. Candice hissed and snapped at him but missed as Tremor pushed her away laughing. "Come and get me Candy! I'm all yours for the taking!"

Candice screeched again and swung at him with her talons. Tremor ducked and shot back up giving her a quick peck on the cheek before shoving her away again. The sounds of his laughter hurt Dark Candice's ears and drove her raving mad. The room temperature plummeted as her energy began to make another snow storm.

"Not this time, you don't!" Tremor lurched forward, body low to the floor and swung his tail. Candice's legs were knocked out from under her and she fell to the floor with a thud. Tremor slammed a paw down, catapulting Candice into the air again before knocking her against the wall before she could hit the ground. Candice was on her feet in a flash and swinging wildly at Tremor like an untamed animal. Tremor dodged and weaved between strikes, laughing at her with every step he took.

Finally Candice had had enough. She reared back and prepared to deliver a critical blast of ice. As she roared and thrust her head forward, Tremor slapped her face and knocked her to the side. The adjacent wall immediately became encrusted in ice.

"That wasn't too bad." Tremor chuckled, scratching the side of his head with a slight tone of disinterest. "Now how about you aim properly next time and don't telegraph your intentions so much. Hm?"

"Telegraph this!" Candice snarled and lunged again. Tremor catapulted himself into the air on a pillar of stone. Candice slammed hard into the marble and dropped to the floor.

"Please tell me you saw that coming and that you just like to beat your own head against stone walls, Candy. Because any worthwhile dragon would have known better."

Dark Candice roared and shadows burst from her body. Tremor's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh, fuck!" He cursed and climbed higher towards the ceiling. Candice got to her feet and glared up at him with icy-white eyes as the shadows grabbed at the earth guardian. She beat her wings hard and propelled herself like a rocket through the air up at him. Tremor stopped clawing at the shadows to face her. He gritted his teeth and sucked in a deep breath before unleashing a massive earth missile, scoring a direct hit. Candice screamed as she shot back to the floor and the earth missile exploded upon impact. The chamber suddenly became filled with dust and ice particles. Tremor beat his wings and blew the cloud away as best he could. When everything had settled Candice lay on her side in the center of an impact crater in the middle of the room.

By the ancestors. Candice groaned to herself. That's going to hurt later on.

"Tremor..." Candice whimpered.

What!

"Candice?" Tremor hovered for a moment before slowly drifting back down to the floor.

"Tremor..." Candice whined again. She opened her eyes and twitched slightly before coughing hard.

"Candice? Is that really you?" Tremor asked setting down on the floor and taking a couple hesitant steps forward.

No it's not me Tremor! Stop where you are!

Candice stared up at him, her eyes were white once again and wet with tears; but the markings still remained.

Tremor, don't fall for it! It's a trick!

"You're back to normal," Tremor sighed, grateful that she was still alive after such a brutal attack on his part.

"Thanks to you." Candice sniffled as he walked up beside her. She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes again. "I thought you were going to kill me."

Tremor!

The earth dragon chuckled. "That was plan A."

Candice chuckled as she opened her eyes again. "Well that's good to know. It's still mine too."

"What?"

Tremor! Candice screamed but her voice remained unheard. Dark Candice jerked her head up and latched her jaws around Tremor's throat and began to squeeze. Tremor choked and gasped as the air left his lungs. He tried to pull away but the dark dragoness would not release him so easily this time. Just as he felt his world blur, Tremor heard a disgusting crunch and a stabbing pain rushed through his body.

Noooo! Candice wailed helplessly as she watched her jaws release his neck. Tremor gasped once and looked into his dragoness's black eyes then down at her tail blade that was lodged in his chest.

"I told you, I was going to rip your heart out." Candice sneered, bringing her face dangerously closer to Tremor's. After a few quick gasps, Tremor managed to laugh in her face.

"I hate to break it to you Candy... But you missed."

"What?" Dark Candice jolted as if she had been struck. "I don't understand! What are you, stupid?"

"No..." Tremor groaned. "Just in love with you... you can't cut out my heart.. because you've had it from day one."

Dark Candice gasped and froze up again. This time Candice took her chance. With a surge of all her will, she roared as loud as she could. The sound carried to her lungs as the entity within her was pushed out for good. Her eyes returned to normal and the dark markings disappeared from her hide, leaving her scales the glossy pale-blue Tremor had come to love so much.

"Hey... beautiful..." Tremor wheezed. "Welcome... back."

"Tremor." Candice sobbed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry." She looked down at her tail blade that was still lodged in his chest. His blood was trickling over it and staining her scales. "I couldn't stop myself."

"There now... Candy... It's not your fault..." He reached up to try and stroke her cheek but his strength gave out on him. "Oh!" He cried and collapsed in the puddle of his own blood that was quickly gathering on the floor.

"Tremor, don't die!" Candice screamed as she pulled her tail blade out of his chest. She breathed on his wound, freezing it over to keep him from bleeding out too quickly.

"I love you Candy," Tremor whispered with a smile. "I made a promise to bring you back, even if it killed me. You know that I keep my promises."

Candice sniffled as her tears began to trickle down her snout. "Yeah. I know. And I love that about you."

The sudden sound of clapping reached their ears. Candice whirled around to see Scraunch step out of the shadows, clapping his hands together in applause.

"Well done slave. You managed to put on a very dramatic show for me." He locked his black eyes on Candice. "And to top it off you eliminated one of our greatest foes in the process, thus redeeming the pride of my pack. For that you have my eternal thanks."

"You bastard," Candice hissed. "You're sick! The whole lot of you are just sick!"

"Oh, come now." Scraunch extended his arms in a display of mockery. "It's not like your kind hasn't disgraced mine before. Think of this as redemption."

Candice roared and fired a frozen spear. The icicle punctured Scraunch's shoulder, pinning him to the wall. The Alpha howled in agony and clutched at the spear, trying to free himself. Just as he managed to yank it out, Candice froze his wounded arm to the wall along with half his torso. Scraunch stared down at the dragoness lurking towards him with white hate billowing from her eyes and fear gripped his heart. He began to struggle harder to free himself as he reached for the darkness of the hallway.

"You're not going anywhere." Candice growled and the snow began to fall inside the room again. Scraunch's desperation grew as he struggled to reach the shadows. At last he struck his shoulder, breaking it off in the ice before making a dash for the hall. He vanished into the shadows, leaving Candice standing dumbfounded as to why he would mutilate himself to get away.

"Damn you!" The ice guardian screamed.

"Candice..." Tremor's soft voice somehow managed to reach her. The dragoness turned back to him with tears rushing down her cheeks. "Candice... help me..." Tremor wheezed. "I need you... more than ever...now..."

"It's okay..." Candice wept by his side as she cradled his head in her paws. "I'm here... you can rest now..." She felt her own heart shattering with every breath her mate forced in and out of his system. "You can rest now."

Ember rolled and bounced across the floor. She was covered in cuts and bruises from Stella knocking her around. The lightning dragoness walked up as Ember picked herself up off the floor. She opened her eyes to see a blurry silhouette of the guardian standing before her. Stella smiled before frowning and delivering a devastating barrage of slaps to the face. Ember's cheeks stung from each blow, knocking her more and more senseless.

At last Stella grabbed her face in her paws and drove her hind knee into her stomach. Ember gagged and choked as the wind left her body. Stella backed away as she watched her friend struggle for air.

"Can I be done?" Stella groaned as if she were bored, which she somewhat was. "I'm tired of handing your own tail to you, Ember. You're not even a challenge for me."

"I'm... not even... getting... started," Ember groaned, getting to her feet. She wobbled on her legs as she tried to focus her vision. "I'll show you... who's..." Stella struck her again across the face sending Ember skidding across the floor. The lightning dragoness sighed.

"Boring!" Ember didn't move. Stella shrugged again and turned to walk away towards the next chamber. "Guess I'll go help Cynder and Spyro. Maybe their fights may be more interesting."

The dark gem on Ember's pendant began to radiate dark magic. The shadows spread over her body, healing her wounds and injuries. The fire dragoness opened her eyes and sprang to her feet.

"Bitch! I said I'm not done with you yet!" Ember shouted furiously.

Stella stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. "Oh yes we are. You're too weak to match up to me."

"Tell that to my face!" Ember snapped.

Stella smirked and turned away, sticking her nose into the air. "Not worth it."

Ember roared viciously and spewed a wave of fire at Stella. In a flash, the lightning guardian whirled around with a spray of lightning. The two elements combusted and Ember launched herself at Stella. The guardian squeaked at the surprise attack and flexed her muscles. Ember struck her just as Stella released a powerful surge of electricity. Stella fell to the ground from the blow and Ember screamed from the pulsing energy that tore through her body. She hit the floor in a smoking heap and Stella got to her feet, clutching at her bleeding cheek; it was the first hit Ember had been able to land.

Stella stared in partial awe as the shadows began to revive Ember again. The fire breather got to her feet and faced the guardian again.

"Back for more are you?" Stella tilted her head sideways and cracked her neck.

"I'll always be back for more!" Ember growled. "I'll keep reviving as long as you keep attacking."

Stella zapped Ember again with a bolt of electricity and she collapsed once again. "You keep getting up and I'll just have to keep at this all day." The lightning dragoness watched as the shadows spilled from the pendant again. Then an idea entered her mind. Stella stepped back and narrowed her eyes at the dark crystal. As Ember started to rise again, Stella rammed her hard, knocking her into the far wall again. Before Ember could recover, Stella bolted over to her and pinned her, back to the wall. The guardian emitted a stunning pulse through Ember. The pink dragoness screamed and the shadows began emerging again to heal her.

Stella opened her mouth wide and a bolt of lightning struck the center of the pendant. The shadows began to flail wildly as the light began to dissolve them. Ember screamed in agony; her body felt like it was being torn apart from the light blinding her vision. Stella forced more energy into the strike and Ember's cries grew louder.

"Just a little more," Stella whispered in her mind and a roar rose out of her throat. The light began to fill the chamber and then the lightning combusted, sending both dragonesses slamming into opposite walls.

Stella groaned against the pain and opened her eyes. Her vision was decorated with spots and stars and she had to squeeze her eyes shut tightly until the dizziness and spinning stopped. When her sight cleared up she grunted heavily as she got to her feet. Stella trudged over to Ember, who lay motionless on the floor.

"H-hey...Ember?" She placed a paw on her shoulder; the dragoness didn't move. "Are you alright?" Ember coughed hard and wretched across the floor. Stella went about caressing Ember's side, trying to calm her stomach down.

"F-Flame..." Ember wheezed. "We... have... to help... Flame... and Candice..."

"Don't you worry," Stella whispered gently. "They're going to be alright. I promise." She bent down and nudged Ember with her horns to help her rise to her feet. Ember finally got up with a bit of difficulty. When she looked down she saw that the darkness had left her pendent, but her ruby was now cracked.

Stella followed her stare and her jaw dropped. "Oh no." The dragoness gasped and looked back up at Ember, unsure what she would do or say. "I'm so sorry. I... I don't know what..."

"Let's worry about it later," Ember sighed. "I just want my Flame back."

"Alright then." Stella nodded after a quick pause. "Let's go get him.

Cynder shrieked and rammed Flame into the ceiling with her enormous head. Flame cried out as he felt his ribs give way from the crushing impact. The fire guardian fell to the floor and landed on his feet. The fall caused him to wobble slightly and then Adult Cynder struck him in the side of the head with her long whip-like tail. Flame bounced across the floor and hit the wall. When Cynder lumbered over to him, he reared his head up and fired a crimson beam of energy. The attack deflected off a shield of convexity and destroyed the wall, letting sunlight shine in. Flame hissed and backed away from the rays of light shining through the chamber.

"Give it up, Flame," Cynder warned, seeing his reaction and circling towards him, pressing him towards the light. "You can't win against me. I have more experience fighting than you."

"But I'm stronger!" Flame snarled and fired another concentrated beam. Cynder lowered her head and the beam deflected again. Flame dove out of the way as more sun entered the room.

"Strength had nothing to do with it Flame. You know that just as well as I do."

"Shut up!" Flame snapped. "How dare you insult my power? You don't know what it means to have power!"

"Oh, don't I?" Cynder reared up on her hind legs, and pinned the fire guardian against the wall with her tail. "I was the Dark Master's general for most of my life. I conquered the entire world on my own! I nearly destroyed the guardians myself and brought the Dark Master back to power!" You tell me what it means to have power, Flame, and maybe I'll be proven wrong!" She released her hold and struck him again, knocking him to the ground.

"If you and Spyro are so powerful then why couldn't you two save the guardians before? Why couldn't you save my grandpa? Why did you just sit and do nothing?"

Cynder's face grew hot with anger. "Is that what this is about Flame? You're blaming us for the losses of the ones we cherished the most?"

"What do you think, Cynder?" Flame sprang up at her and swung with his claws. Cynder jerked her head back, dodging the swipe before head-butting him again. As Flame picked himself up off the floor he glared up at Cynder. "You didn't even try to save them."

"That is the biggest load of crap I've ever heard from a dragon's mouth!" Cynder hissed and slammed a massive paw down on top of him, pinning him to the floor. "You've been with us every step of the way these past months. You've seen for yourself what's gone on! This isn't news to you Flame. You've lived it yourself. You saw Spyro try to save your grandpa and the others! You can't deny that! Spyro's fought hard for all of us! Not just himself!"

"I would have tried harder!" Flame shouted.

"Then why aren't they alive, Flame?" Cynder brought her face down close to his, which was a dangerous move if he decided to breathe fire or use his crimson energy that he had gained from the drakes. "If you're so strong then why didn't you save them? Why are you blaming Spyro for your failure because you're not strong enough?"

Flame froze. "Well... um... I..."

"Why do you think Spyro is fighting Malefor to begin with? To keep others from suffering the way you are right now!"

"Lies!" Flame spat a tuft of fire but Cynder shrugged it off as if it were a gnat. She picked Flame up and slammed him hard against the wall.

"Is it nothing but lies Flame? Are you willing to turn your back on Spyro and the rest of us? If so then I'll have you know you're also turning your back on Ember and your Grandfather too.

Flame's eyes blinked hesitantly. "E-Ember?"

"You heard me!" Cynder hissed. "If you give up this fight then you're giving up on the dragoness you love! You'll let the Dark Master take over and destroy her! Along with all your hopes and dreams for the future! You'll be without her and you'll be without a family! You'll never see her again and it will have been all your fault!"

"No!" Flame wailed, tears brimming around his eyes. "That's not true! I love Ember!"

"Say it so I believe it!" Cynder fumed, pressing him harder against the stone wall.

"I love Ember! I want to be with her until the day I die! I want to fight for her!"

"I'm still not convinced!" Cynder snarled, narrowing her eyes at the fire guardian in her clutches.

"What can I do?" Flame pleaded like a helpless puppy. "I love her!"

"Tell her that yourself!" Cynder bellowed even louder, shaking what was left of the room. She tilted her head sideways and Flame's gaze dropped to the floor. Standing behind Cynder was Stella with Ember using the lightning dragoness as a support.

"Flame," Ember whispered, staring up at him with sorrowful eyes.

"Ember..." Flame whimpered as his tears began to flow. "I... I'm sorry..." He couldn't hold back any more and burst into tears before them, the salty fluid burning up on the red markings along his skin.

Cynder smiled and nodded slightly seeing that she had genuinely gotten through to him. "Are you ready to step back into the light?"

Flame nodded and Cynder held him out into one of the rays of sun. The fire guardian's body immediately started to crack and break apart as the crimson energy broke through the outer shell. At last with a desperate cry and a loud ear-shattering smash, the crimson markings broke off of Flame's scales. His eyes returned to normal and he blinked several times. Cynder set him down before returning to her normal size.

"Flame!" Ember cried and rushed to him and buried herself in his chest.

"Ember! Thank the ancestors you're okay!" Flame wept onto her shoulder.

"I'm okay now," Ember whispered. "I'm just thankful you're alive too." The two lovers pulled away and Flame looked down at her to notice her pendant.

"Ember... your..."

"Save it." She silenced him with a raised paw. "We have a bigger concern right now."

"Uh, right!" Flame nodded and the serious look returned to his eyes. He looked over at Cynder and Stella who waited patiently for them. "Let's go help Spyro and finish this once and for all."

"Die, you worm!" Liun swung at Spyro who blocked the strike and countered with a blow to Liun's nose. The hit rocked Liun's head back and the dark dragon staggered. He swung his broad-head tail and Spyro leaped over it and fired a convexity shock wave. The force cracked the floor beneath Liun and brought the dragon to his knees. Spyro landed and turned to face him. So far he had been matching Liun blow for blow, taking very few hits himself and delivering much more tactical strikes back at his opponent.

Liun roared in anger and breathed a wave of fire. Spyro raised a paw and gathered the flames into a ball before him. Liun and Malefor's eyes widened before jumping out of the way as Spyro sent the fire ball back at them. The blast sent the Dark Master flying into the wall and chunks of rock peppering both dragons. Spyro shielded himself behind his wings but Liun snarled irritatedly.

"How did you do that?" He demanded with Malefor's voice warping with his own.

"Why bother explaining it to you?" Spyro retorted. "You wouldn't understand the power I've acquired and even if you did, you won't be around long enough to use it."

"Try me!" Liun growled and fired a barrage of ice balls. The projectiles flew at Spyro with killing speed before exploding into a rain of spikes. Spyro curled himself around Sparx and threw up a barrier of convexity around them.

Liun took the chance to strike. He kicked off the floor and charged the silver dragon with horns forward. Spyro's shoulder flexed and he launched the barrier at Liun. The energy slammed into the black dragon and sent him crashing back into the wall.

Malefor roared and fired a volley of earth missiles. Spyro narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on them. Time slowed down and he struck each one of the attacks, reflecting them back at Malefor. Spyro released his hold on time and the Dark Master bellowed in pain as the temple shook violently.

"Yeah! You got him!" Sparx cheered.

"It's not over yet, Sparx." Spyro glared into the cloud of dust against the far wall. The room was silent. Suddenly dark shadows spread out from the cloud, engulfing the room in darkness. Spyro jumped out of the way but the shadows wrapped around his leg.

"Spyro!" Sparx shouted and went to help but Spyro waved him off.

"Sparx, stay back!" Spyro grunted as the dark magic spread across his body, trying to absorb him. The silver dragon closed his eyes and focused again. He reached into the blue mist of his mind's eye and took hold of the element he needed. A sudden flash illuminated the room and burned away the darkness. Malefor and Liun roared from the burning sensation that spread through their shared body. Spyro opened his eyes to see the ball of lightning crackling wildly in front of his paw. He thrust his arm forward, striking the Dark Master in the chest with a powerful bolt. The dark dragon wailed and convulsed before collapsing to the floor.

Spyro breathed a sigh of relief. He was starting to grow tired but not enough to give up just yet. The magical energy in the room was plentiful for this fight. He could have an unlimited supply with room to spare if he acted quickly to finish off the Dark Master.

Spyro didn't notice the shadow rising up behind him on the wall. With an angry snarl, Scraunch appeared and grabbed the purple dragon by his throat. Spyro felt himself fly around and slammed against the wall. He saw stars and the room spun for a brief moment. The Alpha sneered at the silver dragon and began to squeeze. Spyro kicked and gasped for air.

"Let go, you flea-bitten mutt!" Sparx flew up and punched Scraunch in the eye. The Alpha snarled and barked at the stinging in his eye and snapped at the dragonfly, loosening his grip on Spyro's throat.

Suddenly Spyro sensed movement from behind the wolf. On instinct he jerked to the side as Liun plunged his tail blade through the Alpha's chest, slashing Spyro's shoulder in the process. The Alpha coughed hard on his own blood and dropped Spyro to the ground.

"Spyro, are you okay?" Sparx asked worriedly seeing the deep gash in his brother's shoulder.

"I'm fine, Sparx." Spyro forced a smile to reassure his friend. "I'll be fine." Liun's irritated growl brought him back to the fight. The dark dragon yanked his tail out of the wolf, tearing bone and flesh along with it and leaving Scraunch's body to dangle by a single connecting thread. Spyro watched in horror as the Alpha fell dead before him.

"Move!" Sparx shouted, grabbing onto his brother. Liun spewed a raging fire ball, burning the body on the floor instantly, just narrowly missing Spyro and Sparx. The silver dragon rolled to the side with his brother cupped safely between his paws.

"Well that was rather rude of him," Liun snickered turning to face the brothers. "I simply can't stand when others interfere with my personal affairs."

"You're... even more of a monster than Malefor!" Spyro groaned as he got to his feet. His shoulder burned and throbbed but he was determined to keep it from slowing him down.

"Well, thank you." Liun beamed with pride. "I consider that a compliment."Though we both know who the true master of darkness is." His eyes flashed yellow as Malefor surfaced once again.

Spyro saw what was coming and sprang into the air as the Dark Master breathed a wave of convexity, blowing a hole in the floor. Spyro slowed time again enabling him to acquire the elements around him again. He summoned ice and lightning, combining the elements into a single deadly strike. Malefor never saw the attack coming. The Dark Master instantly found himself covered in ice and lightning surging through his body. Before Spyro landed, he summoned an earth missile, striking the Dark Master head on. The ice broke as well as the floor beneath his feet. Malefor hit the wall and crumbled to the ground.

"We've almost got this, Spyro," Sparx coaxed.

"Hm," Spyro narrowed his eyes at the Dark Master as he struggled to rise. Chunks of ice and stone had become embedded in his hide. Liun scowled as he was forced to pick each of them out. As Spyro watched he began to get a disturbing feeling in his stomach and he curled his lip. "Sparx, I want you to go and get Cynder."

"What? Why? We have him on the ropes, why would we...?" Spyro turned and stared the dragonfly in the eye. Sparx gulped when he noticed the serious, yet worried look in his brother's eyes. "Alright, I'll go get Cynder." He turned to fly away down the hall.

Liun's lip curled into a smile as he saw the opportunity present itself to him. He sprang to his feet and fired a bolt of dark lightning at Sparx who never saw the attack coming. Spyro's heart skipped a beat. This is what he had been sensing from the dark dragon; the intent to kill with a sneak attack.

"Sparx!" Spyro cried and threw himself in front of his brother and swatted the dark bolt with his paw. The attack rendered his arm numb and Liun charged in with his horns intent on ramming him through. Spyro swung his tail, catching his enemy upside the head. Liun staggered from the blow but grabbed onto Spyro's tail with his jaws and pulled him down. The two dragons rolled about the floor in a mass of snarling, claws and jaws.

Spyro managed to kick Liun off but the dark dragon bounced back much quicker now that he had an opportunity to turn the fight in his favor. Spyro found himself pinned to the wall and jerked his head to the side as Liun slashed with his claws, leaving deep groves in the stone. Spyro head-butted him right back but Liun bit down on his already wounded shoulder.

"Back off, blackie!" Sparx snapped as he zipped over to his brother. Liun looked at him only to get another punch in the eye. The Dark Master reared his head back with an angry bellow and swatted Sparx away. The dragonfly tumbled through the air before hitting the wall and crumbling to the floor.

"Sparx, no!" Spyro wailed as a deep anger began to swell up inside him. But the power was cut off by a sickening crunch.

"Bad move," Liun sneered as he brought his evil eyes to stare into Spyro's. The silver dragon wore a look of shock on his face as he began to slump over. He braced himself against Liun's tail. The dark dragon had brought his blade to ram straight through his gut. The Dark Master let out a maniacal laugh. "I win."


	30. Chapter 30

"Hold them!" Chief Prowlus called over the howling of the wolves. Plax and Spyke stepped forward and breathed a blanket of fire across the courtyard, burning the delicate paw pads of the charging wolves. The wolves danced around trying to get away from the flames. Zephyr moved in front of Plax and Spyke with Shard beside him. The black dragon roared into the ground, sending a ripple through the stone and tossing the canines into the air. Shard reared up on her hind legs, beating her wings rapidly and kicking up a tornado that sucked the wolves into its wake. The howls and cries of the invaders were drowned out by the roar of the wind. Tyrannica roared and turned the tornado to ice before smashing it to bits with her tail. The cheetah warriors cheered as the wolves turned to flee. The younger dragons snarled and took off after them.

"No!" Magnitus landed hard in front of them, cutting them off from the retreating beasts. "They know they've lost," He sighed, slightly winded from the extended battle. He looked after the wolves as they scrambled to get past whatever dragons remained in their path before the lucky ones made it to the holes in the wall to escape.

"But won't they come back?" Plax asked, walking up beside his head elder.

"I seriously doubt they will." Magnitus smiled down at the young dragon. "And even if they do it won't be for a very long time."

"So we won?" Zephyr walked up with his wing around Shard. Both dragons were covered in cuts and bruises but no serious injuries.

Magnitus nodded and Chief Prowlus smiled before turning to his troops. "Victory!" He hollered and a cheer went up from the cheetahs. The surrounding dragons began to roar in triumph. The thunderous sound carried throughout the city. High above the black dragons were quickly being outnumbered and each one found itself engaging three or more dragons at once.

"Bring them down, but do not kill them!" Magnitus ordered.

As he watched the black dragons fight wildly, Hunter came up beside the lightning elder. His cape was tattered and he had several slashes across his chest and arms but still managed to stand on his feet. "I think that they can handle them for the time being." The cheetah thrust his head towards the upper levels of the city and Magnitus followed his gaze. "We should catch up to Spyro and the others and provide whatever assistance we can."

"Agreed." Magnitus nodded, lowering his head to allow Hunter to climb on. "Follow me!" Magnitus called to the other warriors before taking off towards the upper levels. "We still have work to do!"

"Yes sir!" The young dragons chimed in unison and flew off after him.

Spyro coughed and spattered blood across Liun's tail. The dark dragon smiled wickedly at him. He turned away and gave his tail a yank and Spyro cried out as another wave of pain overtook him.

"Spyro!" Sparx cried in horror as he picked himself up off the floor. Liun had broken his arm when he struck him against the wall.

Liun gave his tail another yank but Spyro wouldn't budge. He grabbed onto Liun's tail and dug his claws into his flesh. Liun snarled in irritation and gave another hard pull. Spyro screamed when he was slammed against the floor. Liun leaped into the air and slammed the silver dragon down again. Spyro's eyes nearly popped out of his head from the crushing impact.

"Let go of me this instant!" Liun snapped and flung Spyro against the wall. Spyro dug his claws in deeper, trying to keep himself from being thrown off and torn in half like Scraunch had been.

As Liun continued to try and fling him off, Spyro closed his eyes, trying to ignore the spinning and impacts that continued to pummel him. He could still see the blue mist in his mind's eye and he narrowed his sights to the blue element.

Liun felt a chill run up his spine as the ice began to form over his tail. The frozen cast held his tail in place, preventing him from pulling it free of Spyro. "You just refuse to die quietly, don't you?" Liun slammed him against the wall again. Spyro gasped for air, trying everything in his power to nullify the pain.

"Spyro!"

Liun, Spyro and Sparx turned to see Cynder standing across the room with Flame, Ember and Stella beside her. The black dragoness had a sickened expression plastered on her face, mortified at what she was seeing.

"It looks like all your friends are here to watch you die at my feet now," Liun snickered, his eyes glowing with blood thirsty anticipation. Candice trudged up behind the others with Tremor's body draped over her back like a dead animal. The ice dragoness froze when she saw Spyro pinned to the wall and Liun's tail rammed completely through him.

"Guys..." Spyro wheezed, trying to keep from passing out from blood loss. "Everyone!" He leaned his head back in agony. "Help me!" His cry for help turned to a roar of desperation that echoed throughout the temple. The reverberating sound hurt the guardians' ears but it seemed to reach Tremor's ears. The earth dragon let out a soft groan but quickly turned to a roar of pain and sorrow.

"Tremor!" Candice exclaimed when his body started to glow again.

"We're not sitting this one out," Gaia replied, taking shape alongside her brother.

Another furious screech cut through the chamber and Cynder began to glow with convexity. Flame bellowed and lowered his body along with Ember's. The red markings flashed against his hide and his green eyes flashed red. Stella roared and lightning crackled around the room, caging the dragons inside. There would be no turning back from this fight; it was do or die for the guardians.

"Oh, you want some of me too?" Liun laughed.

"I want all of you!" Cynder snarled. "In pieces!" She lunged for Liun, who tried to step out of her way but Spyro held him fast, digging his claws into the marble floor and bracing against his pull. Liun turned to look at him and Cynder slashed him across the face with her claws. Liun's head rocked to the side and Gaia struck him from the opposite side. Liun snarled and breathed fire at them. Both girls backed off as Flame and Ember rushed in with their heads lowered. The fire breathers rammed Liun in the chest and pinned him to the wall. Ember turned to try and help Spyro but he shook his head. The look in his eyes told her that he wasn't willing to take medical help; they needed to finish this fight.

"Get off, you pests!" Malefor growled and slammed Flame's head with Ember's. Both dragons fell to the ground, stunned by the powerful blow. Liun charged up a bolt of lightning intent on finishing them where they fell, when a slab of stone shot up from the floor, striking him in the jaw and knocking his head towards the ceiling. The bolt exploded and the ceiling began to collapse. Liun rolled away with Spyro to avoid being crushed by the falling rocks. Ember looked up and covered Flame with her body to protect him. A loud crunch was heard and the rocks fell around the fire breathers. Ember opened her eyes to see two slabs of stone covering her and Flame from the falling debris. Off to the side, Tremor's eyes opened and he locked stares with Ember. The fire dragoness could see how critical his condition was as he hung over Candice's shoulder; the light was quickly fading from his eyes.

"Eat this!" Stella sprang into the air, electricity crackling around her in the form of a dragon. The lightning manifestation lurched forward with jaws ready to consume Liun. The Dark Master roared back and retaliated with his dark lightning. The two forces clashed and Stella was forced back.

"Don't fight me, Stella!" Liun shouted over the screeching of lightning bolts. "I don't want to kill you!"

"Don't do me any favors, you monster!" Stella locked her hind legs and stopped where she was, but Liun's lightning was still overpowering hers. The guardian grit her teeth as she forced more energy out. Ember rose up and spit out a fireball. At the same time, Gaia attacked from the opposite side with an earth missile. Liun jumped back as the comets exploded in front of him. Stella's roar grew louder and she struck Liun in the chest with her supercharged attack. The dark dragon hit the wall and Spyro wailed in pain when his ice cast began to crack. Liun ignored the silver dragon and turned his hateful eyes on the remaining guardians.

Malefor rose up and took control again. He fired another barrage of ice balls into the air. Cynder and Flame easily dodged but when they exploded they saw what was really coming. All the guardians cringed, waiting for the strike of pain to hit them. Walls of rock burst up from the floor, protecting the dragons from being hit, then immediately crumbled to dust.

"Tremor!" Gaia cried and Candice turned her head. The earth dragon was fading fast and his twin was beginning to disappear.

Malefor turned his eyes to Candice and unleashed a white-hot wave of fire. The ice dragoness countered with a beam of pure ice energy. The room suddenly became shrouded in blisteringly hot steam. Cynder flapped her wings once and blew it all away.

"Damn you, Cynder!" Malefor fumed and dark magic began to emanate from his body. Spyro screamed as the evil energy burned him from the inside out.

"Spyro! Hold on!" Cynder called and jerked to the side as the darkness reached out to attack her. She fired a blast of Convexity and Malefor deflected it off a shield of the purple energy. He dropped the energy barrier and struck at the guardians again. Stella spat a bolt of lightning, dispersing the darkness but Liun threw up his barrier again. The black dragon charged up another bolt and fired at Candice again. The ice guardian's eyes widened; she was a sitting duck with Tremor weighing her down.

Another wall burst up in front of her, blocking the attack before bursting out into a shower of stone shards that smashed ineffectively against the force field of convexity. As soon as Liun dropped his shield to attack again, spikes of stone burst up from the floor, stabbing him in the legs and gouging his sides. Liun howled in pain and smashed the spikes before turning to look at Tremor. He was about to go on the rampage when Cynder and Flame attacked with concentrated bursts of convexity and crimson energy.

Candice felt Tremor slide off her back and hit the floor. She choked back a cry and fell down beside him. The last of his strength had gone into protecting her and getting in a good shot at the Dark Master, crippling his movements. It was indeed a well planned move on the earth guardian's part; but Candice could only stare in shock as his sides stopped heaving. Gaia walked over as the battle continued to rage behind her; to Candice, the fight seemed so far away now.

"I'm sorry," Gaia whispered before disappearing completely. Candice felt hot tears stream down her cheeks and plop onto Tremor's face. The earth guardian's body began to glow as his energy became part of the world around them. When the light had died away Candice wiped her face with the back of her paw.

"Rest in peace, you two," Candice sniffled as she got to her feet. She turned to look at Liun as he fought to keep Ember and Stella away while Flame and Ember continually unleashed wave after wave of energy. The dragoness felt the despair in her heart reach critical mass. She spread her blood-stained wings and roared. Every head turned as she charged in with nothing left to lose, her ice armor growing more and more along her body.

Liun smirked and fired a bolt of lightning. Candice spat an ice spear and vaulted over the exploding ice projectile. Liun gasped as he watched her breathe a cloud of ice at him only to freeze against his shield. When the dark dragon lowered his guard, Candice smashed through the ice and latched her jaws onto his throat. The black dragon gargled and struggled for air. The ice guardian drove her ice-armored knees into chest again and again, each time trying to ram through him completely.

"You fool!" Malefor bellowed. "Fight back or this will be the end of us!" The Dark Master took over again and charged a dark lightning bolt. Candice screamed and released her hold on him. Spyro cried out and collapsed to the floor. Malefor reached down and grabbed Candice around the neck and hurled her into the opposite wall before shooting another lightning bolt. Stella jumped in front of her friend and deflected the bolt back at Liun, who deflected it up at Cynder. The black dragoness jerked her head to the side and the bolt struck her collar, shattering the metal piece. Liun fired another dark bolt at her and this time Cynder deflected with her tail ring. Again it broke and the pieces clinked against the wall.

Malefor roared furiously and shadows lashed out at the guardians. Flame was knocked back and Ember stepped up to cover him. Cynder's right arm was grabbed and she was pulled into the floor. A shadow reared up and lurched forward to strike, but Stella jumped in and emitted a high voltage electrical charge, disintegrating the shadow. Before she realized it another struck her from behind, knocking her to the floor as well.

Spyro watched helplessly as his friends fought for their lives and to save him. He raised his head and spotted one of the jagged shards of Cynder's jewelry. Liun was focused on the others and disregarding him completely.

Ember and Candice screamed as they were knocked into the ceiling by a pulse of electricity. Flame and Cynder were truck by a pair of earth missiles and sent skidding across the broken marble floor. "I've had just about enough of you all!" Liun snarled.

"The feeling's mutual, Liun," Stella hissed taking a stand between him and her friends, who were doing their best to rise against him.

"If death is what you prefer, then so be it," Malefor growled. He opened his jaws wide and charged a blast of pure convexity. Suddenly a sharp pain struck him in the back. The Dark Master howled and stumbled forward onto his forearms. Liun looked back to see Spyro leaning over him, his ice cast shattered and a metal shard that was jammed in his back clutched in his claws. "H-how...did you..." He wheezed but Spyro pushed the shard in deeper.

"Remember this point Malefor?" Spyro demanded. "It's one of those nerve points on a dragon that are hard to hit unless you have pinpoint accuracy. It's much easier to hit when your prey is lying still or has their back to you in an unsuspecting manner."

"D-damn... you!" Liun growled. He gave a convulsed grunt as Spyro jammed it into his spine, paralyzing him completely.

"Now is our chance!" Cynder shouted. She sprang into the air and transformed to her adult self and charged up a blast of convexity. Flame's markings burned brighter than ever before. Ember's body began to glow with warming yellow energy and Stella's crackled with lightning. Candice roared and unleashed her fury upon the Dark Master. Liun found himself frozen to the ground and a split second later Stella's fury of lightning ripped him apart from the inside out. Ember followed up with a dazzling array of sparklers that homed in on him and exploded. Spyro cried out as he felt his insides turn to mush. Flame and Cynder both charged up a blast and with a final angry roar, they engulfed the dark dragon. Liun and Malefor roared as they felt their body burn away when the attacks intensified.

"Why! Why is this happening? I was supposed to be the strongest!"

"You'll never be the strongest," Spyro's voice whispered in his head. "As long as you use your powers for evil, there will always be someone stronger to rise up against you." The Dark Master turned and glared at the purple dragon. When he saw that Spyro's eyes were glowing with convexity, his eyes grew wide. Spyro roared and added his last remaining energy to the finishing blow. Malefor bellowed in agony. Outside, the black dragons under his control started to convulse and shriek as the evil presence was ripped from their minds.

"It's over!" Spyro shouted and a brilliant golden energy erupted from his body. The surge destroyed what remained of Liun and the Dark Master and swept throughout the temple and across the city. The dragons and warriors cringed and shielded themselves against the strong powerful wind. When the blast died away, everything was silent.

"Cynder..." A weak voice called out. "Cynder... can you hear me?"

"Spyro?" The black dragoness's eyelids twitched and she groaned. Her whole body ached. She opened her eyes and looked around. The other guardians were beginning to regain consciousness and were picking themselves off the floor. A wind blew through the chamber and sent a chill down her spine. Cynder looked up to see a gaping hole where the ceiling had been and revealed dark, open sky. The clouds overhead were dark and rumbling with thunder in the distance. Cynder sat up and looked around. She spotted Candice, Stella, Flame and Ember close to her; wounded but not dead. It was then that a glimmering figure caught her eye across the chamber. Sparx hovered next to his brother's body, clutching at his own broken arm.

Cynder felt her heart stop in her chest and her eyes grew wide. "Spyro!" She staggered to her feet and rushed awkwardly across the room to his side. Sparx looked up at her with tears in his eyes and Cynder immediately knew how bad her mate's condition was. Spyro lay on his side with his intestines dangling out of the hole in his stomach. Cynder wanted to vomit but couldn't bring herself to exert the effort. Spyro's eyes hung listlessly open, the once beautiful amethyst color Cynder had come to admire so much now looked dull and almost lifeless.

"Oh no, Spyro..." Cynder shook her head with tears running down her cheeks and plopping onto his side. An exhausted sigh escaped from Spyro's lips causing Cynder to jerk in surprise. "Spyro? A... are you..."

"C-Cynder..." Spyro murmured, his eyes staring straight ahead into the wall. The black dragoness moved around him and lay down in front of him. His eyes were already glazing over as he continued to slip away.

"I'm here, Spyro," Cynder whispered sadly. "Everything is going to be okay."

By now the other guardians had gotten to their feet and were steadily approaching their fallen friend. Sorrow hung thick in the air and every heart in the room sank to the deepest depths of despair.

"Cynder... I... I'm sorry..." Spyro wept before her. "I... I..." His sides jerked as he tried to speak but Cynder stopped him with a nuzzle against his snout.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Spyro."

"B-but... I promised you..." Spyro's arm twitched. He wanted to reach out for her and stroke her soft delicate cheek but his energy was completely depleted. "I promised you... forever... my life... mate..." Cynder's eyes widened as she remembered the pact the two of them had made before. She looked to Ember, who was crying silently on Flame's shoulder.

"Ember, hurry! Can you heal him?"

"I... I'll try!" The pink dragoness moved over next to Cynder and lifted Spyro's head in her paws. She pressed her lips firmly against his and concentrated on trying to heal him; but instead of feeling the warm tingle of her powers working, she felt nothing. "I... I don't get it... It's... it's not working?" She stammered, looking at Cynder with fear in her eyes.

"Try giving your pendant to Cynder!" Candice suggested.

"It's worth a shot!" Flame nodded and stepped forward to help Ember remove her pendant. After placing it on Cynder, the black dragoness pressed her lips to Spyro's and tried to imagine his wounds healing. The longer she remained locked with him, the more she felt her heart sink. His lips were no longer warm and inviting but cold and stiff. At last Cynder broke the lip lock and set Spyro's head on the ground before her. She was trembling all over from numbness to what was happening before her very eyes. The dragon she loved and admired was dying and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

The sounds of footsteps echoed from the hallway behind them as the dragons, cheetahs, moles and manweersmalls hustled down the corridor. They all fell suddenly silent when they saw the guardians grouped around the fallen dragon. Max and Infernus pushed their way to the front of the crowd and their jaws fell open.

"Oh no," Max whispered in shock.

"Ste-" Infernus was about to take a step forward when Max grabbed his shoulder, holding him back. The red dragon looked up at his friend, who only shook his head. Infernus looked hurt as he glanced back at his dragoness across the room. Stella sensed his eyes on her and she looked back at him, her lower lips sucked in as she tried to keep herself composed. Infernus felt his heart break as she turned back to her dying friend.

"Spyro..." Cynder choked, her throat suddenly feeling extremely dry. "I... I'm not ready for you to go..." She shook her head frantically sending more tears spattering across the floor. "I'm just not ready to let you go!"

"Me either Cynder," Spyro answered her, his voice almost an inaudible whisper. He could feel his strength leaving him for good and he forced a smile in hopes of comforting his dragoness. "I love you Cynder."

Cynder sniffled loudly. "I love you too Spyro. I'll never love anyone the way I love you!"

"S-Spyro?" Candice whimpered stepping forward so he could see her. "I... it's been an honor to be your friend..."

"It's been an honor to be your friend too, Candice..." Spyro smiled through a raspy wheeze. "It's been great knowing all of you."

"J-just... one thing?" Candice swallowed hard. "If... you... if you see Tremor... tell him... I love him dearly."

Spyro would have laughed if he were feeling better. All he could do was close his eyes and smile. "I'll be watching over you all." He sighed as his body relaxed for good. The room was silent except for the sound of distant thunder. Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, hoping for a miracle to bring the dragon back.

Cynder choked back her sobs, trying to remain strong as she cradled Spyro's head in her paws. Sparx leaned against her cheek, ignoring the salty tears that splashed over him. His brother finally looked like he was at peace.

Spyro's body began to emanate a soft golden aura. Cynder and the others watched as the silver dragon's body grew more transparent before breaking off into orbs of light. Cynder watched in horror as the remnants of her mate drifted away into the darkened sky overhead. She and Sparx reached out to try and catch the lights before they could escape but grasped nothing but air. Everyone watched as the light disappeared into the clouds above and again silence returned.

Cynder squeezed her eyes shut forcing more tears out. "Spyro!" She screamed in her mind. "Spyro!"

The End.


	31. Epilogue

**Note: I'm going to go "yahtzee" here... *ahem***

**Now don't think for a moment that I posted an epilogue because of all the "requests and suggestions" from you the readers. I've been laughing non stop at the enormous amounts of you writing in thinking this was how things ended and you should be ashamed and spank yourselves for thinking I'd truly end the story this way though knowing me I would beat you all to death with a bad ending... not it was bad but... sorry, forgot where I was going with that. So I've had enough death threats from you all and dealt with enough of your tremulous wining, bitching and complaining about how I killed SPyro and Tremor and "wah! What will Cynder and Candice do?" and (my personal favorite) "I'll tear out your pubes and stab them in your eyes you fucker" I wasn't fully lying when I said that was the last chapter because it was the end of the trilogy but not necessarily the saga... every trilogy needs a conclusion so here it is incidentally. So stop reading this comment and get to reading. **

***always wanted to pull a Ben Yahtzee. lol***

Epilogue

"Spyro..." The gentle voice called to the purple dragon from the darkness. "Spyro."

The purple dragon's senses tingled as he felt the warm presence draw closer. "Wh... where am I?" He whispered in his mind.

A paw tickled his cheek and he opened his eyes. The figure before him was blurred but quickly focused. Standing before him was a long, sleek, slender-bodied dragoness. Her horns arched gracefully around her head and her eyes were the color of a fiery sunset. Spines lined her back down to the base of her tail before disappearing, though showing an uncanny resemblance to Spyro's. Her tail was tipped with an ordinary spade and Spyro noticed the many scars that crisscrossed her beautiful hide.

"Welcome home, Spyro." The dragoness smiled seeing that he was awake.

"Home?" Spyro looked around to see the vast reaches of space and stars surrounding him. Beautiful luminous galaxies and solar systems spun and danced around them and in the distance, displaying every possible shape and color of the spectrum. "Where am I? Who are you? Wh-what's going on?"

Spyro's mind was getting flustered and the dragoness stroked his cheek. "It's all right Spyro; you don't have to worry about a thing. Your days of fighting have come to an end."

"So... we defeated Malefor? For good?" The dragoness nodded and Spyro sighed with relief. But a deep emptiness filled his heart as he looked around the universal expanse surrounding him. "But at such a price."

"The loss of the guardians of your world was indeed unfortunate." The dragoness sighed sadly. "But it was just their time."

"I should have been there to save them."

"Spyro." The silver dragoness cupped his face in her paws and brought her nose to his. "You can't blame yourself for things beyond your control. You were only mortal."

"So what am I now?" Spyro asked, raising an inquisitive brow. The dragoness released him and stepped back. Spyro's eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "Who are you?"

The dragoness smiled gently and gazed out at the space around them. "I am the guardian of the worlds," She murmured in a tone that seemed to chime like soft music. "I am a celestial dragon, given the task of watching over all the realms and the creatures that reside within them; draconic and non draconic." She turned and walked back to Spyro. "And you, Spyro, have been chosen to become the next Celestial. To become the next overseer of the realms. The divine power that protects all who wish to live their lives in peace." The dragoness extended her paw towards him. "Are you ready?"

Spyro looked down at her paw and numbness began to sweep over him. "I..." He began to raise his paw to place it in hers. He felt warm and tingly all over. He was going to be the overseer of hundreds, maybe thousands of worlds. He would be watching over the lives being born and passing as the ages went on. He could watch over the ones he loved. An image of Cynder and the guardians standing over him flashed before his eyes and he jolted.

"Are you alright?" The celestial dragoness asked, mildly worried at his sudden reaction.

"I..." Spyro looked at her then to her outstretched paw. "I..." He swallowed hard and set his paw down on emptiness. "I can't," Spyro replied, hanging his head. "I'm not ready."

"Spyro, I mentioned to you that you've proven yourself to be a divine being. You are ready."

"I know." Spyro nodded and looked up into her eyes. "But I'm not ready to leave yet. I still have a full life ahead of me. A life with Cynder and the others." He shook his head. "I'm just not ready to leave that all behind just yet."

The dragoness was definitely surprised by his answer, yet she smiled lovingly none the less. "Oh Spyro, you've matured so much over the years. Are you sure this is what you want?"

The purple dragon nodded. "More than anything else right now. I can't watch over the lives of others if I haven't lived myself."

"Ignitus has taught you well. You're wise beyond your years and still so young." The celestial nodded understandingly. "Very well Spyro. After all you've done, and been through; it's the least you deserve. But when the time comes and you are ready, I'll still be here waiting for you."

"Thank you." Spyro bowed his head. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Then let's not keep your loved ones waiting." The dragoness stood up on her hind legs and opened her broad, expansive wings. The colors of the universe reflected off her silver scales and Spyro found himself blinded for a moment.

"Before we go," Spyro interrupted. "I have one request."

Cynder sat beneath the open sky, tears streaming down her face. She held Sparx close to her heart, being careful not to aggravate his broken arm. The guardians all huddled around one another, crying into each others shoulders. Their salty tears stung their open wounds but the pain in their hearts superseded any physical ailments they were bearing.

Slowly the other dragons approached them. Infernus cautiously crept up to Stella and nuzzled her slightly. The lightning guardian stared at him with wet, puffy eyes before sobbing into his chest. Infernus cringed against the pain of his recovering wound but draped his wings around her, hoping that the small gesture would help console her.

Max walked up to Cynder and rested a clawed hand on her shoulder. "Cynder... I.... I'm sorry..." He choked, unsure of what else to say.

"It's not fair," Cynder wept. "Spyro didn't deserve this. He never did anything wrong. He was a good dragon! He was a hero to everyone and an amazing friend! He didn't deserve to die!"

"I know he didn't, Cynder..."

"Then why!" She wailed, staring up at him with her fierce green eyes. "Why?"

Max was dumbstruck as his mouth fell open. After a long silent moment he hung his head. "I don't have that answer Cynder... I don't have an answer that will make you happy."

"Max," Cynder bawled into his chest. Max grunted as his sides throbbed but embraced Cynder none the less. The other dragons and warriors of the city all glanced at each other in mournful silence. The moles and manweersmalls removed their helmets and the cheetah warriors knelt down on one knee bowing in sorrowful respect.

The sound of thunder had vanished but no one seemed to notice.

Cynder was still crying when she felt a warm tingle against her back.

"Cynder..."

The dragoness paused and lifted her head to look around. "S-Spyro?" Every head turned to look at her as she glanced around uncertainly.

"Cynder." Spyro's voice echoed in the destroyed chamber; this time everyone could hear it. The black dragoness's mouth hung open at a loss for words.

The sun slowly began to force its way through the dark clouds above, opening a single hole and shining its warm radiance down onto the spot where Spyro had been minutes before. The guardians' eyes widened and they stepped back cautiously. The other warriors poised themselves; ready for combat should a new enemy emerge. From out of the rays of sun a single orb of light appeared; and then another, and another. The orbs grew in number and size until at last a silver dragoness manifested from the energy. She blinked a couple times and looked around the mass of faces staring at her in awe.

On instinct, Max stepped in front of Cynder to protect her and Infernus held Stella close to him.

"Do not be alarmed." The celestial dragoness smiled warmly at them. "I mean you no harm."

"Who... who are you?" Cynder sniffled and stepped out from behind Max, holding Sparx close to her with her wing.

"A friend," The dragoness replied, genuinely happy at finally being able to meet the black dragoness face to face. "I've come to return someone that I think belongs to you."

Cynder's heart skipped a beat. The silver dragoness lifted her right wing and the light that shone from underneath temporarily blinded those in the chamber. As the light died down, Cynder and Sparx peeked out from behind her wing. Everyone's eyes grew wide as the purple dragon stepped out from under the dragoness's wing. Spyro smiled at his dragoness when he saw the tears swell up in her eyes again.

"Hey Cynder."

"Spyro!" Cynder and Sparx cried and leaped for him, throwing their arms around him and crying tears of joy onto him.

"You're back, buddy!" Sparx sobbed.

"We thought we'd lost you!" Cynder looked into his amethyst eyes.

"It's okay now, Cynder," Spyro whispered and hugged them both back with his wings. "Everything is going to be fine now. I promise."

The black dragoness squeezed her eyes shut and squeezed the last of her tears out.

The guardians, dragons and warriors looked at each other and smiled with relief. But one heart still remained broken and the celestial glanced down at Candice. "And to you young dragoness," she started, grabbing the guardian's attention. "The guardians of this world would not be complete without the full set." Another blinding light came from under her other wing and illuminated the room. Candice held her breath until she saw the figure emerge from the light. Tremor blinked several times before letting his eyes fall upon her.

"Oh Candy! I'm home!" He called in his usual goofy tone.

Candice shook her head with a smile spread across her face and tears freezing upon her cheeks. She bolted forward, her icy armor shattering across the floor. The ice guardian tackled Tremor and immediately locked her lips with his in the most passionate kiss she could muster. Tremor wrapped his arms and wings around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Tremor, you big lug!" Candice sobbed when she broke away from his lips. "I love you! I love you so much! I love you more than anything in the world!"

Tremor smiled and licked her chin. "And words don't describe how much I love you Candy. But I can tell you this much." He brought his mouth closer to hers and whispered. "I'm not going anywhere until I've had a full, happy life with you." Candice felt her heart rate speed up and her cheeks flush; but she didn't care. She had just gotten her most precious treasure back.

"I can see all is well with you young guardians then." The celestial dragoness smiled, looking down at the young couples before her. "I should be taking my leave now."

"Thank you for everything." Spyro bowed graciously and the others immediately followed his example. "You have no idea how much this means to us all."

The dragoness only continued to smile at them. "As I said before, my dear Spyro, it's the least you deserve." She brought her head down to Spyro, Cynder and Sparx. "Take care of one another and may you live happily together until the end of your days." She glanced at Spyro. "I'll still be waiting for you then." The celestial looked up at Magnitus and nodded respectfully. "Farewell." She bowed slightly. The orbs of light began to break from her body and ascend into the heavens. Just before she was gone she looked at Spyro again with a motherly smile. "I'm proud of you Spyro. And I know your father would have been too."

The purple dragon's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Wait, what?" He looked at Cynder with a look of astonishment on his face. The dragoness only smiled and laid her head on his shoulder.

Behind them Tyrannica leaned towards Magnitus. "Was that..."

Magnitus only smiled and nodded as he looked up at the sky. "A friend from a very long time ago."

**10 Years Later**

"Spyro!" Cynder called as she lumbered down the halls of Warfang. The adult dragoness stuck her head into their living quarters and looked around to see her mate standing before a reflecting stone leaning against the wall. He was busy looking at himself and eyeing the silver stripe that ran down his spine. It glistened beautifully against his purple scales and the various colors of stained glass tiles that their roof was now comprised of. The black dragoness chuckled. "After all these years you still haven't gotten used to it."

"It's not that," Spyro replied, stopping and coming over to nuzzle his life mate. "I'm just wondering when the day will come that I have to become the next celestial guardian."

Cynder gazed at him flirtatiously. "Well I think that you should forget about that for now and enjoy your life with me." She brought her tail blade up under his chin and turned his head towards her. Spyro smiled and pressed his lips to hers.

"I love you, Cynder."

"And I'll never stop loving you, Spyro," Cynder growled lovingly.

"Hey you, Spyro, Cynder!" Max came dashing down the hallway and poked his head in to see the two dragons in a loving embrace. "Oh... uh! Oops! He cringed and pulled his head back into the corridor.

"It's okay Max," Cynder called and released Spyro from her grasp. "What is it?"

The black raptor dragon poked his head back in and this time another head appeared alongside him. The dragoness smiled politely as she rubbed affectionately against Max's side. "We were just coming to get you. It's almost time."

"Okay, well be there shortly." Cynder waved. Max and his dragoness ducked back into the hallway. Cynder waited until the sounds of their footsteps and gentle laughter disappeared before turning back to Spyro. "Shall we?"

"I suppose it would be rude to keep everyone waiting." The two dragons moved towards the balcony and stepped into the warm sunlight. Spyro looked at his dragoness and smiled at her beauty. She was free of the bracelets that she had worn for so many years and now donned the elegant breast plate Spyro had designed so many years ago. The platinum metal was almost blinding in the midday sun. The sapphire gem in the center blended well with the color of Cynder's eyes as well as her brightly colored breast scales.

The black dragoness seemed to notice his eyes on her and blushed slightly. "Come on, stud. Let's go." She spread her great wings and leaped gracefully into the air. Spyro smiled and followed after her. The two dragons flew towards the upper levels of the city where a crowd of creatures had massed. Manweersmalls, moles, cheetahs, dragons from all the outlying cities, even the Atlawa had made an appearance. The stairs and upper levels of the city were packed to capacity and a roar went up from the crowd as Spyro and Cynder soared over their heads. The dragons headed towards the newly rebuilt temple of the guardians. The temple was no longer a cluster of pavilions and chambers in one but a combination of the first temple design along with the Tower of Enlightenment in Certrona. It had taken the dragons almost ten years to rebuild the entire city; and it was on this day that they also celebrated the end of the war against the Dark Master. Standing at the base of the temple tower stood the other guardians. Flame alongside Ember, Candice beside Tremor and Stella with Infernus shying away from the crowd slightly. The friends all nodded to one another as Spyro and Cynder set down on the platform.

"Are you ready to do this?" Tremor asked with a smile as the guardians stepped forward to stand proudly at the edge of the platform.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Spyro nodded and turned to address the audience. "Thank you all for coming!" His voice belted out across the city like a great, thundering horn. "As you know, it has taken us all a long time to recover from the long war with the Dark Master! But that was many years ago, and we've all been able to work together and thrive in this new age of peace! But we cannot forget those we fought with to get to this point in history! Those who sacrificed everything they had! Those who lost their lives for the greater good of the world!" A pang of sadness struck the hearts of everyone as they remembered the losses of their previous guardians and their brothers in arms. Spyro turned slightly and gestured a wing towards the tower behind him. "This new temple is a symbol of what we've fought for and who fought alongside us in the past! It's a symbol for future generations who look up and see what their ancestors have left for them! A world where our offspring can run free without worries! A world where we can all live happily with one another and achieve any dream we set our mind to!" The crowd began to cheer again. "This temple is a memorial to those who have fought for us! And they will not be forgotten." The crowd quieted down and bowed their heads for a moment of silence.

As Cynder stared at the crowd bellow she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see a pair of dragons sitting on the top of a pavilion nearby. The male was black with grey chest scales. His left eye was a royal blue and his right was a crimson red. Scars marked his body but he still made for an attractive looking male in his prime. The female beside him was a white dragoness with grey spots peppering along her slender body. Her eyes were as blue as the sky and her horns and talons were as dark as onyx. She wore a golden ring around her left horn and tail as well as a golden breast plate over her dark scales. The designs on them reminded Cynder of those Ignitus had as the chronicler.

Both dragons smiled politely and Cynder smiled back. The male seemed oddly familiar to her, yet she had never seen him before in her life. Their eyes locked for a long, tense moment before the male broke his attention. He turned his head and arched his neck back towards his spine. It was then Cynder saw the pair of dragon hatchlings no more than a few months old yawn and curl themselves around each other in the crook of their father's back. The female smiled and licked the male on the cheek before they shared a short kiss. Cynder smiled and recalled the warm and tender moments she and Spyro had shared so many of.

The couple turned and looked at Cynder one last time before spreading their great wings and gliding off towards the lower levels of the city and disappearing from view.

"Good luck," Cynder whispered with a gentle motherly smile. "Whoever you are."

The sound of footsteps grabbed Cynder's attention and she turned to see an aged Magnitus and Tyrannica coming up the steps before stopping and bowing respectfully to the guardians.

"Well done, all of you." The elder smiled. "I know your teachers would be most proud of you."

"We know they are." Candice smiled, nuzzling her cheek against Tremor's neck. The dragons all shared a mild chuckle. Spyro looked back down at the crowd.

"We thank you all for coming! So without any further delay, let the celebrations begin!" Another uproar came from the city as fireworks shot into the air. The guardians moved out of the way as several of the guests approached the temple for a closer look. Spyro found himself admiring the carvings engraved into the stone. All the way up the tower he could see the story being told of how the guardians had fought the Dark Master and how when things looked most bleak the forces of good had triumphed in the end by coming together for a righteous cause: peace.

"You okay?" Cynder asked nudging him slightly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Spyro nodded and wiped a tear from his eye.

"You're amazing, Spyro," Cynder whispered softly as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You're nothing less than a living miracle and a beacon of hope to us all."

"Thanks, Cynder." The purple dragon sighed and licked her cheek.

Just then the sound of shouts grabbed the guardians' attention.

"Get away from me!" A young lightning dragon shouted irritatedly. He was only five years old but his flight skills were well developed for his age. Behind him a pair of dragonesses chased after him giggling like the little girls that they were.

"Come on Zappy! Just one!" The ice dragoness pleaded playfully.

"Yeah! It won't kill you! Just one!" The earth dragoness added.

"No! Never! And don't call me Zappy!"

"You kids get back here!" Sparx hollered. Behind him a purple dragoness and young male fire dragon beat their wings hard to keep up with him. The little dragons hit the platform running. Zap ran around the maze of legs with the two girls chasing after him.

Sparx flew over to his brother and gasped for breath. "Spyro, man, I'm getting too old for this." Spyro and Cynder laughed as the dragonfly flopped down across Spyro's snout.

"Okay you kids, that's enough," Tremor ordered, placing a paw between his two daughters and Zap, who took cover behind Stella's leg. The lightning guardian laughed and nuzzled him affectionately. Infernus smiled and rubbed his son's side with his snout as well.

"So what are you little fire crackers doing?" Tremor asked, leaning his head down towards the twins.

"They were trying to give him a kiss." Zealous answered as she and Torch toddled up to their parents.

Candice snickered and looked down at her offspring. "Girls, what have I told you about running around trying to kiss boys?"

"But we just wanted to give him one little one," Tundra protested, trying to put on a pouty look for her mother.

"Yeah." Sierra nodded. "It was just a kiss on the cheek."

"Girls..." Candice raised a brow and tilted her head to the side. The young dragons hung their head in defeat.

"Don't kiss the boys unless they ask for it." The twins recited in unison. The guardians laughed but Zap didn't seem to take the joke too kindly. He glared at the twins who continued to eye him playfully and ducked behind his father's front legs before sticking his tongue out in defiance.

Instead of being discouraged by the gesture, the girls only giggled more playfully, their tails wagging excitedly back and forth. Tremor laughed as well and leaned down towards his daughters and lowered his voice, trying to keep Candice from hearing.

"You know, it's best to wait it out and then strike when he's not expecting it," He murmured and the twin's eyes grew wide with excitement.

"Tremor, stop encouraging them," Candice scolded, only to cause her mate to laugh. The twins bounded back to Torch and Zealous who were busy wrestling with each other in front of their parents.

In the silence of his chamber, Ignitus smiled at the picture before him; Spyro, Cynder and the guardians all standing around, smiling and laughing together with their children. "Well done, young dragons." He nodded approvingly. "Well done all of you." He closed the book and moved to set it on the shelf as a white, grey-spotted dragoness and scarred male black dragon entered the chamber.

"How is everything, Ignitus?" Crona asked, gently picking up one of her babies from Certo's back.

"It's absolutely magnificent, my dear Crona." The former fire guardian smiled. "It certainly has been an age of heroes."

Back at Warfang the guardians continued to laugh and chat with their guests as they ascended the long staircase to the temple. Tremor glanced to the side and smirked at what he saw. Stella and Infernus were engaging in a conversation with Hunter and Chief Prowlus while their son Zap sat quietly beside them. The little lightning dragon didn't even notice the two girls stealthily creeping up on him until it was too late.

"Mmmmwah!" Sierra and Tundra pressed their lips on either side of Zap's cheeks, giving him a loud smacking kiss.

The lightning dragon's eyes widened and his face burned deep red, more from embarrassment than irritation, and he shrieked.

"Eeeeeewwww!"

**Fin!**


End file.
